Overview:

The Vietnam War was an extensive conflict from 1954 to 1975 between North Vietnam and South Vietnam. North Vietnam, under the political and economic principles of communism, sought to unite the nation once again. South Vietnam, on the other hand, heavily backed and influenced by the US, which feared the spread of communism, fought to prevent this from happening.

Australia was one of the major participating nations in the conflict, supporting the US and South Vietnam in their fight against the North from 1962 - 1972.

The war ended with the fall of the southern capital Saigon to the North Vietnamese forces on April 30, 1975. From then on, a wave of rapid change was brought on for both Vietnam and Australia. The war had a lasting impact on both nations, much of which still resonates and continues till today.

Economic Change:

During the post-war era, Vietnam experienced vast economic change.

At the beginning, right after the war, Vietnam went through a national financial crisis. With the mass destruction of the country from bombing, infrastructures and farmlands were utterly devastated. South Vietnam’s economy, which was previously sustained by continuous funding from the US, suffered from economic collapse after their withdrawal from the war. Unemployment increased rapidly and millions lost their jobs.

The newly established government, the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV), tried to combat these issues by installing a range of socialist and communist policies in South Vietnam - just like the system previously implemented in the North. One of the first changes proposed was the abolition of capitalist ideals such as private trade and property ownership. The government took control of all privately owned land and businesses, promoting the communist principle of collective public ownership. The economy would be solely controlled by the party, and they were in charge of the distributions to the people. This system soon brought in immense corruption and bribery, and was not very popular with the common people . One of the most influenced by this policy were the Hoa, a Chinese ethnic group who greatly benefited from the capitalist system before. The Hoa suffered when the government abolished private trade, and in addition the tensions brewing in Vietnam between China and Cambodia led to a large population having to flee. 

In addition to the restriction of private trade, the government also tried to make industries more nationalistic by driving out foreign influences in businesses, and introduced land reform and collectivised farming. Under the new land reforms, the government forced people to give up their land for redistribution. This practice however, unlike the in North, where life was harder for the peasants and land reform was desired, was not readily accepted by people in the South, and faced considerable resistance. Furthermore, the reforms failed to generate a more productive economy like they were intended, which led to a further economic downfall, and the country became ravaged by poverty.

Food became scarce after the war, and Vietnam’s largely impoverished but growing population throughout the 1970s and 1980s was not supported much by these early economic policies. Agriculture lagged behind due to a lack of advanced farming equipment and machines. Additionally, Vietnam’s foreign trade industry declined drastically as trade embargos put out by the US and their anti-communist allies prevented Vietnam from building international relations. Eventually in 1979, the government had to issue food rationing.

It was only in the 1980s that new economic reforms took place and the government loosened its policies on capitalism. When industry profits grew, living standards slowly improved and the economy expanded. Foreign exchanges began opening again in the 1990s, and Vietnam restored trade relations with the US in 1994-95.

Political Change:

The end of the war in the victory of the communist North brought on big political changes in the country. Vietnam became united as one nation, and soon after, was established as the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. This union under one communist government, however, was not very easily accepted, as political opposition from the remaining supporters of the South Vietnamese government became a prevalent issue; much of this was due to propaganda spread by the US about the brutal and murderous nature of the communists to deter the population from joining their cause.

To deal with the ongoing political tension and expel the ideas of the old Southern regime, the CPV initiated a ‘re-education’ scheme. The program aimed to send those associated with the Southern government to training camps, where they would reflect and realign their views with the new ways. Initially, military officers (ARVN) and associated government officials were the ones that had to receive re-education, however the program eventually extended to civilians and any of those deemed with suspicion as well. Re-education camps, contrary to their original intent, were in reality quite harsh and rigorous. Those undergoing re-education were forced to do hard labour and survived on minimum resources, and many endured indoctrination and torture. Re-education could last for years and slowly destroy its detainees’ physical and mental wellbeing. An estimate of around 1 million Vietnamese people were subject to the government’s re-education, and thousands died. The grim policy was a contributing reason to why many South Vietnamese people sought to flee the country and find refuge in neighbouring countries.

In addition to the controversial re-education program of the new government, Vietnam had strained foreign relations - especially with Western countries - which affected its international standing. Vietnam was denied trading with many countries in the Western world after the war- primarily due to the US - and experienced increased tension with neighbouring countries Cambodia and China in the late 1970s. Cambodia, which recently fell under the rule of the communist Khmer Rouge, was wary of potential ambitions from Vietnam to try and extend their authority. As a result, Cambodia started launching attacks and bombs at their border, leading Vietnam to retaliate and overthrow the government in 1979. This made China, the Khmer Rouge’s former central ally, angry, and they started attacking Vietnam’s northern regions, sparking the Sino-Vietnamese war (1979). This following period of conflict in which Vietnam was engaged is known as the third Indochina war (1979-1991).

Environmental Change:

Vietnam was once a tropical landscape before war ravaged the environment. Mass bombings destroyed expansive land and forest, causing increased runoff and removal of vegetation and wildlife. The Vietnam war was a major cause for the extensive deforestation in the Lower Mekong Basin from 1960-1980. From 1965 to 1973, large-scale bombings occurred in the southern sub-basin, and it became one of the most bombed areas in Indochina. This bombing caused an increase in runoff, and bombturbation - the mass destruction and displacement of soil - has had long-term impacts on the ecosystems. 

During the course of the war, a military tactic utilised by the US was the spraying of toxic chemical substances over the natural forests in order to destroy enemy cover and strip their natural resources. The most notable of them was Agent Orange, a chemical defoliant responsible for destroying approximately 3.1 million hectares of tropical forests. Agent Orange was highly effective because it contained the dioxin 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin, which was extremely toxic. The defoliant not only had adverse effects on the environment, but to the health of many soldiers and locals who were continuously exposed to its toxicity as well. Many developed cancerous diseases, skin diseases, miscarriages and birth deformities were carried to children. US and Australian veterans reported experiencing the effects of the defoliant after their return. More than 4 million deaths were caused by cancers developed by Agent Orange.

In addition to human health, the toxic dioxin had a huge impact on the flora and fauna of Vietnam as well. Agent Orange reached the soils and contaminated the water of the Vietnamese forests and landscapes. Not many investigations have yet been conducted on the total impacts that years of exposure to the chemical defoliant has had on the natural wildlife. However, there is an undeniably high potential that it has severely impacted the population, biodiversity and evolution for the animals and ecosystems.

Refugees:

Following the communist triumph, a lot of people tried to escape South Vietnam. They often travelled in small, crowded boats in the South China Sea. While some made it as far as Northern Australia, others were forced to spend years in camps until they were ultimately allowed entry into a third nation. Many also didn’t get very far since the boats were sunk by leaks or were destroyed by storms or perished in calm seas. Pirates attacked defensive and slow boats, raped the women, stole all the goods, and often murders the refugees. 94,000 refugees from Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam arrived in Australia over a ten-year period from 1976. 

Operation Babylift:

Australia was one of the many nations that participated in the massive evacuation of children from South Vietnam known as Operation Babylift. Operation Babylift, on April 4th, 1975, was a procedure to airlift refugee orphan children out of South Vietnam to other countries, including the US and Australia. Australia began airlifting children out of South Vietnam as a humanitarian aid and the children were able to settle into a new adopted family in Australia. However, during the journey a lot of the children had their identification tag removed which resulted in a difficulty to process and identify the children and which family they were being adopted into. Sadly, only 12 minutes after takeoff, the first aircraft headed for the United States crashed. Two Australians from Adelaide who had offered to help with the kids were among the 143 volunteers and babies that died. Despite this catastrophe, the operation still went on as planned.

The orphans were transported to the hospital as soon as they arrived in Australia to be examined for any health problems. A large number of children had to be hospitalised because of serious health problems. Some were able to continue their journey to their new homes while others were admitted for less serious problems. Once their child arrived in Australia, the adoptive parents had a long wait because they were not allowed to contact the kids until after the kids were discharged from the hospital.

Tragically, several of the children who arrived in Australia were too sick and did not live very long. In April 1975, approximately 3000 orphans were airlifted from Vietnam. 

Westerners perceived it as a humanitarian help for the South Vietnamese people, particularly to the children who needed it. Many adoptive parents thought it was a compassionate gesture that would only be good for the Vietnamese children. The Vietnamese people however, viewed it as cultural appropriation and kidnapping rather than a humanitarian relief. Supported by the revelation that some children placed for adoption were essentially kidnapped from their birth families rather than being orphans. Operation Babylift ended on April 17th, 1975.

Between the 4th of April to the 17th of April, a few before the war’s end, the South was gradually crumbling. Vietnamese culture was eradicated as the children were raised in Western culture and assimilated with it. Due to their Asian heritage, they had a distinctive appearance resulting in many of these children encountering racism and prejudice. With a strong desire to belong and fit in, they longed to reunite with their biological family and reconnect with their culture.

Veterans Had To Readjust:

Most veterans were warmly welcomed back to HMAS Sydney but many who returned throughout the night weren’t received at all. Many veterans also believed Australia was to fault for the conflict. The brutal and gruesome battles (such as the Ma Lai massacre) led the populace to believe that it was conducted improperly. Veterans occasionally heard the statement, ‘Vietnam wasn’t a real war.’ They had lost pals and comrades to the war and had seen death, and killed - as is the lot of soldiers in war - were horrified at how, in certain instances, they had to carry out the duties put upon them by their nation. They established the Vietnam Veterans’ Action Association (VVAA) in 1980 primarily for counselling. By 1987, however, attitudes had altered. There were welcome-parade events. Over the years, veterans made pilgrimages to commemorate their dead comrades, revisit the country in peace and make friends that had shared the similar experience. 

Change of the White Australia Policy:

When the Vietnamese people migrated to Australia, the Whitlam government recently removed the “White Australia Policy” in the 1970’s. The “White Australia Policy” refers to a set of laws that restricted people from outside Europe from immigrating to Australia. This began from the Immigration Restriction Act in 1901. Up until the test’s removal in 1958, the Immigration Restriction Act law required immigrants to complete a dictation test in any European language. During the final month of the Whitlam government the Racial Discrimination Act of 1975, which outlawed racial discrimination, became operative. From then on, Australia had accepted about 60,000 Vietnamese refugees, the majority by plane, in the seven years that ended in 1982.However, due to limitations like language and culture, finding work was difficult for the Vietnamese people.

Fleeing Vietnam, 15 years after the war: 

In 1990, Bich Thuy Pham arrived in Australia as a refugee. Prior to 1975, her family had worked for the South Vietnamese government, but after she fled to a refugee camp in Malaysia, the communist continued to treat the Pham family unfairly. She claimed that due to her family’s ties to the previous administration, the communist government prevented them from working or attending university. Ms. Phan is currently employed with Asian Women At Work, a group that aids women refugees in finding employment in Australia.

The Population of Vietnamese People Still Grows:

Today, a significant portion of Australia’s estimated resident population who were born overseas comes from Vietnam. In the 1971 census, less than 700 Australians identified Vietnam as their country of birth; 15 years later, that number had increased to more than 80,000. In 2011, more than 180,000 Australians claimed that Vietnam was their birth place. Since a large portion of respondents to the national survey failed to specify their country of birth, the estimated number of Vietnamese-born Austrailans is thought to be more than 200,000. In the 2021 census, more than 260,000 Australians claimed to have been born in Vietnam. This is 29.2 percent more than the number in 2011. This places the Vietnamese-born as the sixth-largest immigrant group in Australia.

The Nguyen’s travelled to Melbourne when they arrived in Australia. Vietnamese business and culture are now centred on Melbourne’s suburbs of Springvale, Footscray, and Richmond. The commercial areas in Richmond were crowded with Italian and Greek establishments in the late 1970s, but all have since closed, according to Ms. Nguyen.

The Australian Vietnamese Women’s Association (AVWA) which Ms. Nguyen started and is currently in charge of, and is thought to be the largest provider of services to Vietnamese people worldwide.For the past four decades, Vietnamese people have continued to immigrate to Australia, in part, stated Ms. Nguyen, so that families may stay together.

“The pull factor is that people know that life is good in Australia, the community is multicultural, and young people want to come here to study and make a life for themselves.”

The push factor of human rights is another factor in Vietnam. In the words of Ms. Nguyen, the current government scores fairly poorly when it comes to respecting human rights.

Commemorating the Soldiers Who Lost and Died at War:

Australia deployed many troops to assist the war in Vietnam, thus today, our Australian people still have a remembrance to honour both the Australian and Vietnamese soldiers that served in the war and those we lost and died at war. 

Memorial Services:

On the 18th of August 2023, as a part of the 50th anniversary celebration of Australia’s withdrawal from the Vietnam War, our nation had paused on this particular day to put recognition to Vietnam Veterans Day. To celebrate the service and sacrifice of our Vietnam Veterans, thousands of Australians had assembled at the Vietnam Forces Memorial in Canberra and in other locations across the country.

In the fight of Long Tan on August 18, 1966, Australians and New Zealanders were outnumbered ten to one. Over the course of more than ten years, 60,000 Australian servicemen and women served in the Vietnam War, tragically costing 523 lives and injureding around 3,000 more. On this day, August 18th 2023, Australia expresses their gratitude for their service and the sacrifices made by their families.

Culture:

With the arrival of Vietnamese immigrants, Vietnamese culture, traditions and customs followed. There are contributions of Vietnamese cuisine all over Australia along with cultural festivals like Lunar New Year (also known as Tet.) To keep their culture and faith alive, Springvale, the Melbourne district is a hotspot for Buddhist temples that are open all year for Vietnamese people to visit on occasions. Vietnamese language lessons have greatly assisted Vietnamese-Australians to learn their heritage language. 

Annotated bibliography:

Brasch, N. (2007). The War that Divided Australia: Eyewitness to the Vietnam War, 1962 to 1975. Heinemann Library.

• In this book, Nicolas Brasch goes into depth about Australia's involvement in the Vietnam War and its direct influences on Australian society. From the reasons why, the roles played, and public sentiment about the war, the book provides a lot of context for the Vietnam War from the Australian perspective. In addition, the book discusses the positive and negative effects of the war, and how that led to Australia's ultimate withdrawal and its impacts on culture and society today. This book helped us identify many of the changes during the war in Australia - in particular, we were able to look into conscription and public protest, both of which significantly changed throughout the war. Though we were not able to include this information in the end, it really helped guide our research and we were able to understand Australia's position during the Vietnam War on a deeper level. The book is a great resource to start on the Vietnam War, as it provides a wide background on the conflict, as well as key short-term and long-term changes in Australia.

Operation Babylift - Australian Studies, Society and Culture. (n.d.). Digital Resource Finder. Retrieved August 25, 2023, from https://dl.nfsa.gov.au/module/1500/  

• This source offered an overview of the impacts of the mass adoptions that took place in Australia after the war in a program called Operation Babylift. The source explores both the Australian perspective and Vietnamese perspective, particularly the experience of some of the children who were part of the operation. It analyses the positive and negative sides of the argument, raising the question of who was right throughout the whole operation - was it humanitarian aid? Or abduction and erasing people's heritage? The written information and video helped us flesh out our understanding of the situation and see things from multiple viewpoints. It was a great resource to gain a wide and unbiased point of view of this operation.

Llewellyn, J. (2019, July 4). Post-war Vietnam. Alpha History. Retrieved August 25, 2023, from https://alphahistory.com/vietnamwar/post-war-vietnam/#Economic_challenges  

• This website provided an extensive overview of the major economic, social and political changes in Vietnam after the war. In particular, it discussed factors such as the destruction of the environment, a lack of food and resources, and the implementation of socialism with the new government. We found it a great place to base our research, and it helped us find many of the factors that shaped the nation after the war. This source helped us analyse how Vietnam recovered from the impacts of the war and became a stable nation once again. Overall, the website provided excellent insight into the short-term impacts - good and bad - of the war on Vietnam in a very easy-to-follow format.

(2009, October 29). Vietnam War: Causes, Facts & Impact. Retrieved August 25, 2023, from https://www.history.com/topics/vietnam-war/vietnam-war-history   

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Brasch, N. (2007). The War that Divided Australia: Eyewitness to the Vietnam War, 1962 to 1975. Heinemann Library.

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