At dawn on 17 January the Việt Minh renewed their attacks but were once again devastated by French airstrikes and by midday General Giáp ordered a withdrawal.

[1]: 113 In March 1951, General Giáp again tried a conventional assault on the French forces in the Red River Delta when units of the 308th, 312th and 316th Division threatened the approaches to Haiphong.

In this Battle of Mạo Khê the Việt Minh were beaten back by determined resistance from the French garrisons, airstrikes and naval gunfire.

[1]: 114 The battered 308th played a minor role in the Battle of the Day River in May/June 1951, making diversionary attacks on Ninh Bình and Phủ Lý.

[4]: 78  The only major fighting during the operation came during the withdrawal, when the Regiment 36 ambushed Groupe Mobiles 1 and 4 on Route 2 in a narrow valley near Chan Muong on morning of November 17.

The Viet Minh managed to blow up one of the leading tanks, completely blocking the road and then, covered by heavy weapons fire from the surrounding hills, proceeded to methodically destroy the convoy.

French air support eased the pressure on the forces caught in the valley and then in the afternoon the 2nd Battalion, 2nd Foreign Infantry Regiment and the Battalion de Marche Indochinois (BMI) inside the valley and the lead elements of Groupe Mobile 1 outside the ambush area counterattacked against the Việt Minh, culminating with a bayonet charge by the BMI.

[1]: 265 In January 1954, the 308th, accompanied by a Battalion from Regiment 176, 316th Division launched a probe towards Luang Prabang, capturing Muong Khoua on 1 February.

Hampered by French airpower, the airdrop of the 1st Colonial Parachute Battalion on Muong Sai and the deployment of Groupe Mobile 7 to Luang Prabang, the Việt Minh force withdrew towards Điện Biên Phủ on 20/21 February.

By 2:30am on 15 March the Việt Minh assault stalled, but at 3:30am a new artillery barrage commenced and then Regiments 88 and 165 renewed their attacks penetrating the French lines.

By 7am the Việt Minh captured the Battalion command post, but French forces continued fighting from their positions in the south of Gabrielle.

[1]: 403–7 On 28 March Regiment 36 was engaged in the defense against a French attack against Việt Minh anti-aircraft machine guns to the west of the airfield.

[1]: 607 On 7 May after the French ceased firing at 5pm, the 308th moved into the central position from the west and captured the command post of General de Castries.

[5] On 9 October 1954, the 308th was the first Viet Minh Division to enter Hanoi at the same time as the last French troops departed for Haiphong across the Paul Doumer Bridge.

On 18 February while conducting a B-52 bomb damage assessment north of Route 9 the ARVN 1st Airborne Battalion captured the Division's command post.