Unsolved case
Vũng Tàu — 1952 Attack on French Officers' Rest and Recreation Centre
On 21 July 1952, Viet Minh fighters disguised in French military uniforms attacked a rest and recreation centre in Vũng Tàu during a dinner attended by unarmed French officers and their families, killing 20 people, including four children of Air Vietnam President Jean Perrin, and injuring 23 others.
Vũng Tàu is a coastal city on a peninsula in southeast Vietnam, historically known to Europeans as Cap Saint-Jacques. During the First Indochina War, the city hosted a rest-and-recreation centre for French military personnel.
On 21 July 1952, fighters of the Viet Minh, disguised in French military uniforms and armed with grenades, machetes, and submachine guns, attacked the centre while unarmed French officers were having dinner with their families. Twenty people were killed and twenty-three injured. Among the dead were four children of Air Vietnam president Jean Perrin — Christian, Elysabeth, Michel, and Nicole — and several Vietnamese staff, including a bartender and a cook. Two people survived by feigning death.
It is documented in a contemporaneous news account and in the broader history of Vũng Tàu during the First Indochina War, before the 1954 Geneva Agreement.
Key facts
- Victims
- Elysabeth Perrin, Michel Perrin, Christian Perrin, Nguyen Van Loc, Nicole Perrin
- Date
- 1952
- Location
- Vũng Tàu, Bà Rịa–Vũng Tàu (former province), Vietnam
- Case status
- unsolved
Case timeline
1952-07-21
Viet Minh fighters disguised in French military uniforms attacked a rest and recreation centre in Vũng Tàu during a dinner for French officers and their families, killing 20 people (including four Vietnamese civilians and four children of Air Vietnam President Jean Perrin) and injuring 23 others.
Best coverage
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People
Elysabeth Perrin
VICTIMChild of Air Vietnam President Jean Perrin; killed in the 21 July 1952 attack at the Vũng Tàu R&R centre.
Michel Perrin
VICTIMChild of Air Vietnam President Jean Perrin; killed with machetes while attempting to flee during the 21 July 1952 attack.
Christian Perrin
VICTIMChild of Air Vietnam President Jean Perrin; killed in the 21 July 1952 attack at the Vũng Tàu R&R centre.
Nguyen Van Loc
VICTIMCook at the R&R centre; shot by attackers while attempting to feign death during the 21 July 1952 attack.
Nicole Perrin
VICTIMChild of Air Vietnam President Jean Perrin; killed in the 21 July 1952 attack at the Vũng Tàu R&R centre.
Roles reflect public records and court outcomes at the time of writing — supporting citations are on file under Sources.
Places
Common questions
- What happened to the victim?
- On 21 July 1952, Viet Minh fighters disguised in French military uniforms attacked a rest and recreation centre in Vũng Tàu during a dinner attended by unarmed French officers and their families, killing 20 people, including four children of Air Vietnam President Jean Perrin, and injuring 23 others.
- Where did the crime happen?
- Vũng Tàu, Bà Rịa–Vũng Tàu (former province), Vietnam.
- What is the current status of the case?
- Status: unsolved.
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Sources
- PRESSINDO-CHINA: Massacre at CapTIME · 2026-07-11
- ENCYCLOPEDICVũng TàuWikipedia · 2026-07-10
- OFFICIAL / AGENCYParramatta City hoists Vietnamese flagparracity.nsw.gov.au · 2026-07-10
- OFFICIAL / AGENCYArchival catalog record related to Vũng Tàucatalog.archives.gov · 2026-07-10
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