 On 24 and 25 February 1861 Admiral Léonard Charner relieved the Siege of Saigon by defeating the besieging Vietnamese army in the battle of Ky Hoa.He followed up this victory with the Capture of Mỹ Tho (12 April 1861).Charner had been sent out to the Far East for the war with China, and had not expected to be required to fight a campaign in Cochinchina as well.