本文不只意在描繪1979年越中邊界戰爭的歷史過程，也意欲揭露潛於該事件之下的底層與結構性因素。此一戰爭本身即是一場死傷數以萬計、慘絕人寰的災難。該事件亦呈現出越中的歷史與結構關係。尤甚於此，如柬埔寨、蘇聯與美國等區域及全球層次的政治行為者，亦捲入其中。本文論道，「沒有永久的敵人，也沒有永久的朋友，只有永久的利益」雖是外交的規律，但在可見的未來，隨著中國的崛起，越南對於越中關係的看法應更加地防衛與敵對。

This article is not only to depict the historical process of the cross-border war between Vietnam and China erupted in 1979 but also to reveal the structural and underling factors beneath the historical event. The war itself is a tragic catastrophe with tens of thousands casualties and injuries. The event also presents the historical and structural relations between Vietnam and China. Beyond that, the political actors at the regional as well as the global level are involved, such as Cambodia, the Soviet Union, the United States, etc. This article argues that although it is a rule that “no permanent friends or enemies, but permanent interests in international relations,” in the foreseeable future, China rising will make Vietnam more defensive and hostile toward Vietnam-China relations.