Aussies In Vietnam: The Battle at Long Tan

Long Tan Day is a historic day that honors those who fought and fell at the Battle of Long Tan on August 18 and has nothing to do with soaking up the sun. In 1966, the People’s Army of Vietnam and some members of the 1st Australian Task Force were pinned down and outnumbered by Viet Cong insurgents in a rubber plantation on the outskirts of Long Tan. Both Vietnam and Australia celebrate Long Tan Day on the same day, honoring the bravery and steadfast commitment of the soldiers who held their ground despite the odds. HISTORY OF LONG TAN DAY The history of the Vietnam War is complex. The tinder was laid as far back as the colonial occupation of Vietnam by the French, and later, conflicts involving Asian states finally boiled over after the rise of communism and the end of World War II. As a colony of France whose neighboring Asian states were gaining independence triumphantly, the Vietnamese people began to long for a sense of national identity and the desire for independence was great. However, the French enjoyed their hold over the region as it provided them with valuable resources and a military defensive position in the wake of the rise of Communism in China. Many allied nations also realized the strategic importance of keeping Vietnam safely in the bosom of western influence. But for the people of North Vietnam, who recognized the support, and connected with the fundamental notion of Marxist Communism, this was their country, and they wanted it back. Support from China was given swiftly, and in the months that led to the outbreak of the Vietnamese War, the Viet Cong, or V.C., were equipped and trained to take back their country. Unfortunately, the Vietnamese living in the southern parts of the nation didn’t share the same sentiments, and a bloody civil war ensued. The north pushed for communism, and the south defended democracy and western ideals. Western powers intervened in the clash, but they greatly underestimated the tenacity and skill of the VC combatants. With America being the chief ally to the South, President Johnson committed U.S. troops to the effort in 1965, for the first 3-year campaign. They were eventually forced to quit the war and leave Vietnam to its fate, after facing massive resistance from civil society in the States, and a devastating death toll among American troops. This ultimately saw the Viet Cong unify the country, in 1975, under hardline communist rule led by the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.