“While the conflict is largely remembered as a contest between North and South Vietnam with the United States intervening on behalf of the latter, both factions enjoyed considerable help from a host of other world powers both large and small.”
THE WAR IN VIETNAM was one of the 20th Century’s most intractable conflicts. Also known as the Second Indochina War or simply the American War to the Vietnamese, the epic struggle claimed the lives of more than 2 million people, including some 60,000 U.S. personnel and more than a million civilians. The war also consumed hundreds of billions of dollars, scarred the landscape of much of South East Asia and created toxic divisions within the international community.
While the conflict is largely remembered as a contest between North and South Vietnam with the United States intervening on behalf of the latter, both factions enjoyed considerable help from a host of other world powers both large and small. In fact, more than 10 other nations took an active role in the decade-long fight, losing more than 15,000 lives in the process. While some countries’ contributions are widely known, others might come as a surprise. Let’s examine some of the Vietnam War’s other participants.
ALLIES OF THE SOUTH
Between 1964 and 1973, more than 2.7 million American troops served in Vietnam. Yet despite this hefty commitment, Washington was eager to portray the war as a multinational effort aimed at countering communist aggression. To that end, the White House invited (and pressured) a number its allies in the region to lend a hand in South Vietnam. More than 400,000 troops from six other countries answered the call. Here they are:
South Korea – Many might peg Australia as the next largest foreign contributor to the war after the United States. But South Korea was by far the most committed foreign ally of the American-led war effort in South East Asia. Between 1965 and early 1973, more than 320,000 South Korean troops served in the war alongside U.S. and ARVN forces, although ROK troop levels never reached more than 50,000 at any given time. And in addition to financially backing the government in Saigon, the U.S. also helped bankroll Seoul’s commitment to conflict to the tune of a quarter-billion dollars. Once deployed, the Korean contingent engaged in its own brutal counterinsurgency campaign throughout South Vietnam. In fact, ROK forces were responsible for a number of atrocities against Vietnamese civilians while prosecuting the conflict. In recent years, South Korea has sought to atone for this grizzly war record. All told, more than 5,000 of the country’s soldiers were killed in nine years of fighting; 10,000 were wounded.
Australia – In total, more than 61,000 Australian soldiers also served in the war between 1962 and 1972, although that commitment never exceeded 8,000 troops at one time. In addition to sending infantry, airborne, special forces, medical and armoured units, Australia’s task force also included squadrons of helicopters, transport planes and even Canberra bombers. The Royal Australian Navy contributed a destroyer to the effort as well. More than 500 Australian personnel were killed during 10 years of operations — 3,000 were wounded.
Philippines – The next largest partner in the U.S.-led war was the Philippines. Beginning in 1966, Manila deployed upwards of 10,000 troops to help support the Saigon government, but kept its contribution limited to medical and logistical operations. Filipino casualties were minimal, yet the decision by the administration of Ferdinand Marcos to deploy troops to Indochina was still controversial domestically.
New Zealand — Between 1964 and 1972, more than 3,800 New Zealanders served as part of the Allied war effort. In addition to providing artillery batteries, combat engineers and medical personnel, Wellington sent elements of the country’s elite Special Air Service. Pilots also served as part of the larger Australian contingent. In all, 37 troops were killed during the eight-year mission and 187 were wounded. The war proved highly unpopular at home and eventually led to the downfall of the National Party government of Jack Marshall.
Thailand – In 1965 Bangkok committed a small army contingent to South Vietnam, known as the Queen’s Cobra Battalion. It also pledged its national police force’s air assets to monitor several segments of the Ho Chi Minh trail that passed through neighbouring Laos.
Taiwan – One of the earliest foreign contributors to the Saigon government was the the ardently anti-communist Republic of China. In fact, Taiwan provided transport aircraft and secretly offered several hundred of its special forces soldiers to the cause beginning in 1961. Over the next 11 years, three aircraft were lost to enemy ground fire and a number of Taiwanese commandos were captured while on missions in North Vietnam. In all, 25 Taiwanese died in action in Vietnam.
Canada – Although not officially a military contributor to the American war effort, Canadian industry supplied the U.S. with more than $2.5 billion worth of war materiel during the 1960s and early 1970s. Factories north of the 49th Parallel manufactured everything from uniforms to Agent Orange. While mainstream public opinion in Canada was largely against the U.S.-led war in Vietnam, more than 30,000 citizens volunteered to fight in the conflict. At least 100 Canadians died in American uniform during the war and one even won the Medal Of Honor in 1970 for heroism under fire. Following the 1972 Paris Peace Accord, 240 Canadian soldiers were deployed to Vietnam with a multinational UN peacekeeping force to monitor the agreement. Other contributors to that contingent included Hungary, Poland of the Warsaw Pact as well as Indonesia, and Iran.
HANOI’S COMRADES
As America’s role in the war widened, the communist world was keen to see Hanoi prevail. While support to North Vietnam largely came in the form of weapons and material, a number of countries sent advisors and even a handful of combatants. Here’s a run down:
Soviet Union – Moscow proved to be North Vietnam’s chief ally throughout the conflict, supplying both weapons and military advisors. In addition to maintaining a troop commitment that topped 3,000 men at its peak, the Soviet’s lavished Hanoi with more than 2,000 tanks, 7,000 artillery pieces, 5,000 anti-aircraft guns and nearly 200 surface to air missile batteries. Aid from Russia eventually reached $2 million a day. In at least one incident, Soviet advisors engaged American forces in combat. During an air raid on the North in 1965, Soviet anti-aircraft gunners fired on and destroyed American F-4 jets near Hanoi at Thanh Hoa.
China – Beginning in 1965, the People’s Republic of China provided both military engineers and anti-aircraft batteries to the North Vietnamese war effort. This followed Beijing’s policy of supplying millions of dollars in rice and more than 90,000 assault rifles to the communist regime. By 1968, China began to withdraw its support following a widening rift with Hanoi’s chief ally, the Soviet Union. Beijing gradually shifted its support to the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia. Following the victory over the south in 1975, the unified Vietnam waged a four year war against Cambodia. China invaded Vietnam in 1979 by way of retaliation.
North Korea – Pyongyang also contributed to the communist north. In 1966, the reclusive regime dispatched two squadrons of MiG-17s and a squadron of MiG-21s — 30 planes in all. More than 200 of the country’s aviators eventually rotated in and out of country throughout the war during which time many flew combat missions. Two full regiments of air defence troops were also dispatched. North Korean dictator Kim Il Sung reportedly urged his men to protect the skies above Vietnam as if they were “their own.”
Cuba – Cuba has never formally confirmed its participation in the Vietnam War, although several thousand military engineers reportedly aided the communist war effort. In addition, military advisors from Havana are believed to have taken part in the interrogation of at least 19 captured U.S. fliers. In fact, their supposedly brutal methods have since been dubbed “the Cuban Program”. Castro himself visited Quang Tri shortly after it fell to the communists in 1972.
This link makes interesting listening http://www.nam.ac.uk/whats-on/lunchtime-lectures/video-archive/jungle-too-far-britain-vietnam-war
I had no idea 30,000 Canadians crossed the border to fight in the US forces. All we ever heard about were those Americans that crossed into Canada to escape the draft.
There has been talk in recent years of actually including Canada’s Vietnam vets as part of our nation’s Remembrance Day ceremonies.
I think that would be good and right.
Despite the interest among some up here in such a move, I could see many Canadians still NOT being receptive to the idea. The war was not particularly popular among Canadians. In fact prime minister Pearson called on LBJ to suspend the bombing. The subsequent PM, Trudeau was even more against the war. Canada was quite welcoming to American conscription evaders too. The role Canadian industry played in supplying the US war effort was controversial in Canada. Even today, I suspect many Canadians would question (perhaps even oppose) counting our Vietnam War dead in with WW1, WW2, Korea and Afghanistan dead.
I thought that as well. My other thought was to do it for the people who fought it, not because one agreed with the politics.I was in the Army at the end of the period and I can tell you no one wanted to be the last guy killed. Having said that I have nothing but admiration for those who went including Canadians who clearly didn’t have to.Soldiers I like, politicians, not so much 😉
Well put, my friend!
Sadly, the American did not include us, Khmer Republic (Cambodia)
as one of the countries who also was there side by side with the American soldiers during Vietnam conflicts. 41 years after U.S left us to die in the hand of the Khmer Rouge, the American Congress still do not acknowledge our contributions to that war.
An unfortunate oversight on the part of the publishers. Cambodia’s contribution should have been noted in the story. We are sorry for the omission and thank you for bringing it to light. And also, we’re not Americans actually; we’re from Canada.
No surprise seeing Japan was absent in the roll call… BTW, it took me FIVE trips to DC for me to overcome my emotions and actually view the Wall. I barely made it through. It was tough.
I saw the wall once in 1989.
Three high school friends died there…
What did you feel? I believe you are Canadian?
Yes. I am Canadian. One thing I remember is the large number of maple leaf flags Canadian vets place on the wall.
You not been written about the humanitarian mission of the Spanish Army (1965-1970) in Go Cong, near of Saigon.
http://www.historiaycine.com/2013/01/Co-Gong-La-guerra-secreta-de-los-espanoles-en-vietnam-documental-2012.html
Thanks for adding that.
Despite it was a very small contribution, I think that the article should include Spain as an ally of the South. Following a requirement from US Secretary of State, Mr. Dean Rusk, General´s Franco government decided to send a medical team of 30 military doctors and male nurses. In Spain, at that time, this contribution was not widespread and actually almost anybody knew about it. The team ran a small military hospital of 150 beds in Go Cong, 45 Km south of Saigon. The first team was sent for one year and was followed by another two teams for 6 months each, so the Spain´s medical presence started in 1966 and lasted till 1968.
Thanks for that too.
That Spain had a token involvement is something that I had not known. Do you have any additional details on this?
Spain’s secret support for U.S. in South Vietnam,theres more info on this link https://www.facebook.com/notes/captain-james-văn-thạch/spains-secret-support-for-us-in-south-vietnam/998805976832287/
I drove moter t for a marine artillary unit I saw a jeep or jeeplike vehicle in the DaNang area., I remember it was Spanish non military. 1967
so nixon bombed the soviet supply line in order to pressure the north into agreeing to stop attacking the south , which finally brought about observation of the paris treaty, but after america withdrew support and he was impeached, the north violated it’s agreements and renewed it’s soviet supported assaults against the south, depleting the arvn’s ammunition.
bending to leftard “useful fools” protesters,congress refused to even send any material aid to the south,sealing the south’s fate and consigning vietnam-and cambodia and laos to decades of stalinist like tyranny.
funny how the press talks little of the +2 million vietnamese who were prevented by ho chi min from joining the first million north vietname from defecting to the south in the decade before JFK sent us forces , nor the half million civilians murdered by the communist land reform pogrom during that era.
. . . . and we still have those who are proud of their anti-war stance in the late 1960s/early 1970s and have nothing to pleasant to say with regard to the soldiers who fought there regardless from where they came. Families and friends are still split on the issue. Those that lost a father, son, brother or friend there still grieve and are hurt . . . . . There are those who should be deeply ashamed by how they treated our soldiers, but they only brag . . . .
Sadly, the American did not include us, Khmer Republic (Cambodia)
as one of the countries who also was there side by side with the American soldiers
during Vietnam conflicts. 41 years after U.S left us to die in the hand of the Khmer Rouge, the American Congress still do not acknowledge our contributions to that war.
damn, what da hell dude. you must be white!!! like the early Indians once said, ‘never trust white men’ so this is what koreans get for fighting along side of US soldiers during the vietnam war? atrocities against Vietnamese civilians? whats dat? so koreans did nothing but rape and murder civilians during the war? you call yourself a historian?
Other participants in the war in former Indochina are the lowland Lao, the Hmong, and many other tribal peoples of Laos commonly referred to as Lao Theung. They all fought from 1961 to 1975, at the directive of JFK and subsequently LBJ and Nixon, as surrogates for American troops. Beginning with Eisenhower, none of the US presidents at the time wanted to put US troops on the ground in Laos but they all felt Laos was very important to keeping Laos, Cambodia, and Thailand from falling under communist influence. The Lao, Hmong and Lao Theung were recruited, trained and deployed covertly against the North Vietnamese Army (NVA) that invaded Laos. This covert use of the Lao, Hmong and Lao Theung was thought necessary because the USG had agreed at the Geneva convention in 1962 to withdraw its troops from Laos to concur in making it neutral. The North Vietnamese Army never withdrew and only increased its numbers and with Laos rendered neutral turned its attention to invading the Republic of Vietnam, sending troops and materiel down the Ho Chi Minh Trail and across Cambodia from the port of Sihanoukville into the RVN. Sihanoukville was closed down by Lon Nol after he took over in Cambodia in 1970 but the Ho Chi MInh Trail remained open. The covert army in Laos, the only effective fighting force, forced the NVA to keep several divisions in Laos to protect their lines of communication and keeping them from fighting and killing the Allied forces in the RVN. They also helped rescue downed US airmen in Laos. The war in Laos was a separate theater of war during the war fought in South Vietnam. You might be excused for not knowing this as it is not well known in the United States, even though H.Con.Res.406 – Honoring and commending the Lao Veterans of America, Laotian and Hmong veterans of the Vietnam War, and their families, for their historic contributions to the United States was passed in 2002. Not worth much more than the paper it was printed on but immeasurably important to the surviving Lao, Hmong and Lao Theung veterans now in the US. They didn’t serve 1 year tours and go home, many served as many as 10 years in combat and when the US gave up and withdrew from its war in the RVN, many spent as many 7-8 years in “reeducation” camps before escaping and making it to freedom. Having fought on behalf of the USG, they spent time imprisoned, lost their country to communism, and now live in the West, many in the US as citizens, without however, being recognized as veterans by the government that asked them to fight for it. They can no longer pursue their lives in Laos and now, as so many others have learned upon arriving in the US, can’t do as well here as they might have done in their own country. Anyone interested in more detail than I have written here might read “Shadow War: The CIA’s Secret War in Laos” by Ken Conboy and “Shooting at the Moon: The Story of America’s Clandestine War in Laos” by Roger Warner. Also, visit this website: The True and Incomplete Timeline of The Communist War of Aggression in Cambodia, Laos & Vietnam – http://www.thecommunistwar.org/
What about Spain?
The US asked Franco for help and Franco sent Medical units.
Franco was reluctant at first given the Vietnam war was the first war to be televisied and was being hated on by the world over.
So the Spanish involvement was kept secret until 2002.
Spain’s participation in the war could not have been a secret as claimed above. I have seen photographs of the Spanish flag flying at the Free World Centre in Saigon, along with the flags of the Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam), United States of America, Australia, New Zealand, Philippines, South Korea, Thailand & Republic of China (Taiwan). Further, there was a very large sign-board standing in the centre of downtown Vung Tau which with the heading “Quốc-tể Viện Trợ” (National Assistance or Foreign Aid) listed these countries. The countries so listed were: Australia, Belgium, Canada, Rep. of China, Denmark, Ecuador, France, Rep. of Germany, Japan, Rep. of Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Great Britain, Greece,, Guatemala, India, Iran, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Thailand, U.S. of America, Pakistand, Philippines, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland. I was in Vietnam during 1969-70 and visited both of those locations. I admit I was not aware at the time of the specifics of why Spain’s flag was flying above the Free World Centre.