CARL SMITH:
The 1960s is remembered for a lot of things. But one of the biggest events of the decade was actually a war in a tiny country called Vietnam. The Vietnam War actually started years earlier because the country was split on how it should be run. North Vietnam was led by people who believed in communism. That's a system where the citizens work for the government and in return, rely on the government to provide for them. Many in South Vietnam, on the other hand, didn't want to live like that. Pretty soon, other countries became involved in this war between the north and the south. Communist countries like China and Russia started supporting the north with weapons and ammunition, but that worried other countries that didn't like communism, like the US. So they started supporting South Vietnam with money, weapons, and eventually troops. Some US allies like Australia then decided to join the fight too.
CARL SMITH:
Throughout the war, almost 60,000 Australians served in Vietnam, but not all of them volunteered. Many were conscripted, which means they were forced to go through a giant nationwide lottery. Any 20 year old men in the country could be picked if their birthday was drawn in the draft. Some Australians were against that. Others were against fighting in Vietnam at all because they believed it wasn't Australia's war to fight. So there were big protests across the country and many young men refused to go.
CARL SMITH:
Those Aussies who did go faced incredibly difficult conditions. Think jungle, monsoonal rains, and an enemy that was very familiar with both. All up, 521 Aussies died and more than 3000 were wounded in the fighting. The deadliest battle for Aussie troops was the Battle of Long Tan on August 18th, 1966. Around a hundred Australian and New Zealand soldiers found themselves fighting a giant force of around 2000. Pinned down, low on ammunition, and at risk of being surrounded, the Australian troops looked like they wouldn't survive the night. But they did, holding off the enemy until reinforcements arrived.
CARL SMITH:
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 seventies, 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.
VETERANS:
We're going home! We're happy!
CARL SMITH:
Afterwards, many Australian troops returned home to criticism from those who oppose the war.
SIR PETER COSGROVE, GOVERNOR GENERAL:
Not too many returned veterans in wars before or since were sometimes booed, or occasionally even reviled by their own countrymen and women.
CARL SMITH:
But there was one positive to come out of the aftermath of this war. Tens of thousands of Vietnamese people fled here, to escape the North rule, and were taken in as refugees. They brought the Vietnamese culture with them, and over time, made Australia a more multicultural place to live.
CARL SMITH:
Today, memories of the Vietnam War are still very raw for those who took part. That's thought to be one of the reasons why the Vietnamese government cancelled commemorations for the 50th anniversary of Long Tan at the last minute, disappointing more than 1000 Aussie veterans who had travelled there for the day. But that didn't stop them from coming together to quietly remember what happened at Long Tan 50 years ago. And to reflect on how both countries have changed since.