The document discusses several key points about the Vietnam War: 1) For nearly 100 years, Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia were occupied by France, but after World War 2 Vietnamese leader Ho Chi Minh declared independence, though it took 30 more years for full unification. 2) Australia feared the spread of communism, as reflected in its defense policy focused on preventing war on its own soil, due to the domino theory which held that if one nation fell to communism others would follow. 3) Ho Chi Minh was a Vietnamese communist revolutionary leader during the Vietnam War. 4) By 1954 Vietnam was divided along the 17th parallel, with communist North Vietnam and capitalist South Vietnam, though

2.  For nearly 100 years the French occupied
Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. However after
World War II, a Vietnamese Communist leader
named Ho Chi Minh claimed Vietnamese
independence from the French. Complete
unification and independence of Vietnam took
another 30 years.
 Australia was fearful of communism. This was
reflected in the government’s defence policy,
which was focused on preventing a war being
fought on Australian soil.

3.  Definition: A theory
that if one nation
comes under
Communist control,
then neighbouring
nations will also come
under Communist
control. This lead to a
fear that a domino
effect would occur
across Asia and the
South Pacific.

4.  He was a Marxist-
Leninist revolutionary
leader who was prime
minister (1945-1955) and
president (1945-1969) of
the Democratic
Republic of Vietnam
(North Vietnam). He
played a key role in the
People’s Army of
Vietnam (PAVN) and
the Viet Cong (NLF)
during the Vietnam War
until his death in 1969.

5.  By the end of 1954, a meeting of the UN
was held and Vietnam was divided at the
17th parallel. North Vietnam was Communist
and South Vietnam was Capitalist. The
Vietnamese people were old that they
would be able to vote for a government
within 2 years.

7.  Tonkin Gulf Incident

8.  Why did Australia become involved?

9.  ANZUS - ANZUS stands for the Australia - New
Zealand - United States Security Treaty which was
signed in September 1951. The ANZUS pact did not
commit the US to intervening in the event of an
attack on Australia or New Zealand, only to
'consultation', but it was hailed as a great
diplomatic success in Australia.
 SEATO – Following the Korean War and the unrest
in Indochina, the Australian government felt it was
imperative that they have a proper defensive
treaty. A number of other countries felt the same
way and the South-East Asia Treaty Organisation
(SEATO) was created to deal with the situation.

10.  Read text book page 169 and write
down your answer.

11.  Australia's Reaction to the Vietnam War