About 52,000 Australians served in Vietnam, with 521 killed and more than 3,000 wounded. Those who returned to Australia were often given a hostile reception by a public that chose to blame the soldiers (a third of whom were conscripted), rather than the government.
In December 1972 they became the last Australian troops to come home, with their unit having seen continuous service in South Vietnam for ten and a half years. Australia's participation in the war was formally declared at an end when the Governor-General issued a proclamation on 11 January 1973.
From 1962 to 1973, more than 60,000 Australians served in the Vietnam War. They were part of an allied force led by the United States. Australians fought alongside South Vietnamese Government troops against the Vietcong, a communist-led insurgent force supported by the North Vietnamese Army.
Some 60,000 Australian defence personnel served in Vietnam over 10 years of the war. Our initial commitment of 30 military advisers in 1962 grew to include a battalion in 1965 and a task force in 1966. Australia's last combat troops came home in March 1972, about 3 years before the war ended.
The war in Vietnam dragged on for many years after the events of Long Tan. And when it did finally end it wasn't because Australia had won. In the early '70s the US and Australia decided to pull out as public opinion turned against the war. And by 1975, the North had claimed victory over the South.
Background. Australia's involvement in the Vietnam War was driven largely by the rise of communism in Southeast Asia after World War II, and the fear of its spread, which developed in Australia during the 1950s and early 1960s.
Nixon's plan worked and in early January 1973, the Americans and North Vietnamese ironed out the last details of the settlement. All parties to the conflict, including South Vietnam, signed the final agreement in Paris on January 27. As it turned out, only America honored the cease-fire.
Tough, battle-hardened South Korean troops were justly feared by Vietcong and North Vietnamese regulars alike during the Vietnam War.
Errol Noack was the first Australian conscript to die in the Vietnam War. He died at the age of 21 and became a symbol for the growing anti-war movement. The photographs and letters of the Noack family are a poignant record of the loss of a young life.
Errol was flown to hospital at Vung Tau in a medevac helicopter, but died shortly after arrival. Aged 21, he was the first National Serviceman to die in Vietnam.
And the German learned to fear Australians, because they were reckless, ruthless - and revengeful. During the Third Battle of Ypres, autumn 1917, the ANZAC's (Australian and New Zealand Army Corps) met the Germans on high ground, in front of Polygon Wood.
The Vietnam War was the longest 20th-century conflict in which Australians fought, and the first without Britain as an ally. About 52,000 Australians served in Vietnam, with 521 killed and more than 3,000 wounded.
Bilateral relations
Australia and Vietnam are strong partners with shared strategic interests in maintaining peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region based on international law.
In Australia, 15,300 men were conscripted into the Australian Army during the Vietnam conflict. More than 200 died and at least 1,200 were wounded on active duty. Most 20-year-old Australian men had to register for national service between 1965 and 1972.
More than 3000 New Zealand military and civilian personnel served in Vietnam between 1963 and 1975. In contrast to the world wars, New Zealand's contribution was modest. At its peak in 1968, New Zealand's military force numbered only 548. Thirty-seven men died while on active service and 187 were wounded.
Vietnam was the longest war in American history and the most unpopular American war of the 20th century. It resulted in nearly 60,000 American deaths and in an estimated 2 million Vietnamese deaths.
Keith Payne, VC, AM (born 30 August 1933) is a retired Australian soldier and a recipient of the Victoria Cross (VC), the highest decoration for gallantry "in the presence of the enemy" awarded to members of the British and Commonwealth armed forces. Payne's VC was awarded for his actions during the Vietnam War.
Five years ago, former Special Air Services Regiment patrol commander Ben Roberts-Smith was considered a national hero. As Australia's most decorated living soldier, he rubbed shoulders with royalty, was a favourite on the guest speaker circuit and was awarded Father of the Year by a children's charity in 2013.
It authorised Prime Minister William 'Billy' McMahon to make an early announcement that 'looked towards' withdrawal, but not to disclose the Cabinet decision. This document marks a major change—from participation to disengagement—in Australian Government policy about the Vietnam War.
Throughout the war 'Tunnel Rats' were mainly responsible for clearing booby traps, unexploded bombs, bunkers and tunnels. They, like most of the Vietnam veterans, were not welcomed home.
They were intended to cow the populace, liquidate opponents, erode the morale of South Vietnamese government employees, and boost tax collection and propaganda efforts. Terror was meant to demonstrate that the South Vietnamese government could not protect them.
The USA was afraid that communism would spread to South Vietnam and then the rest of Asia. It decided to send money, supplies and military advisers to help the South Vietnamese Government.
The loss of life of American soldiers, the determination and ferocity of the Vietcong assault, and coverage of the brutal response (including the capture on camera of a suspected Vietcong officer being executed in a Saigong street) led many Americans to conclude that they could not win a war against such a dedicated ...
Vietnam and the United States are strong and growing partners, sharing the goal of an open, connected, prosperous, resilient, and peaceful Indo-Pacific. Addressing the legacies of war is a foundational element of the strong relationship between the United States and Vietnam.