Vietnamese capabilities are around that of the East Asians.
Therefore not likely to be pushovers like the Indians in 1962.
But to say that Vietnam beat China is overstating the facts.
http://viettan.org/China-rift-opens-in-Vietnam.html
" To date, neither Hanoi nor Beijing has disclosed the exact details of the border agreement or a new official map. In a single interview with state media, a Vietnamese deputy foreign minister responsible for the negotiations downplayed Vietnam’s loss of major cultural landmarks, including the Ai Nam gate and the Ban Gioc waterfall.
He rejected accusations on blogs and overseas websites that his government ceded territory by arguing that the government managed to keep most of the Tuc Lam River bank - despite the fact that according to historical maps the entire area had once belonged to Vietnam. "
http://maoist.wikia.com/wiki/Sino-Vietnamese_War
The Chinese implemented an effective "scorched-earth policy" while retreating back to China. They caused extensive damage to the Vietnamese countryside and infrastructure, through destruction of Vietnamese villages, roads, and railroads.
Border skirmishes continued throughout the 1980s, including a significant skirmish in April of 1984; this saw the first use of the Type 81 Assault Rifle by the Chinese.
In 1999, after many years of negotiations, China and Vietnam signed a border pact, though the line of demarcation remained secret[6]. There was a very slight adjustment of the land border at this time, resulting in land being ceded to China.
Vietnam ceded land to China to conclude the border war.
If that is beat, then it is certainly not desirable.
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