View letters and diaries, listen to oral histories and read about the response of South Australians to the war in Vietnam.
A Department of Veterans Affairs site about the Australia's involvement in the war in Vietnam.
Australia and the Cold War: Some Possible Reasons for Entering the Vietnam Conflict
One of the significant historical debates in Australia concerns the reasons why Australia entered into a conflict in Vietnam. This debate has links to the historiography of the Cold War itself. When considering Australia’s reasons for entering a war in Vietnam alongside the USA during the 1960s, it’s necessary to consider a variety of perspectives.
Australia's involvement in the Vietnam War
On April 29th1965, the Australian Menzies Government announced it would be sending an Australian battalion to Vietnam alongside US troops.
The Battle of Long Tan is the most publicised Australian battle of the Vietnam War. In a decade-long war that, for the most part, consisted of small contacts with an enemy that was reluctant to engage in pitched battles, Long Tan was one of the exceptions.
Australian War Memorial: Vietnam War 1962-75
The arrival of the Australian Army Training Team Vietnam (AATTV) in South Vietnam during July and August 1962 was the beginning of Australia's involvement in the Vietnam War.
Australians at War: The Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was the longest twentieth century conflict in which Australians participated; it involved some 60,000 personnel and grew from a limited initial commitment of 30 military advisers in 1962 to include a battalion in 1965 and finally, in 1966, a task force.
The Second Indochina War, 1954-1975, grew out of the long conflict between France and Vietnam.
What Was Australia Doing in Vietnam?
In July 1967 President Lyndon B. Johnson sent two of his principal advisers, Clark Clifford and Gen. Maxwell Taylor, to Australia and New Zealand with an urgent mission.