LYCOS RETRIEVER 
South Vietnam
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Australian support for South Vietnam in the early 1960s was in keeping with the policies of other nations, particularly the United States, to stem the spread of communism in Europe and Asia. In 1961 and 1962 Ngo Dinh Diem, leader of the government in South Vietnam, repeatedly requested security assistance from the US and its allies. Australia eventually responded with 30 military advisers, dispatched as the Australian Army Training Team Vietnam (AATTV)... known as "the team". Their arrival in South Vietnam during July and August 1962 was the beginning of Australia's involvement in the Vietnam War. In August 1964 the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) also sent a flight of Caribou transports to the port town of Vung Tau.
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Up until 1954, North and South Vietnam had both been part of French Indo-China. The area was occupied by the Japanese during World War II, then French forces returned to reassert colonial rule. The First Indo-China War, an uprising against the French, started in late 1945. When it ended in 1954, an agreement was made to split Indo-China into North and South Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. The division between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) was intended to be temporary, with free elections scheduled for July 1956. Reunification was not achieved until, after nearly two decades of war, it was forcibly imposed with the military victory of Communist North Vietnam in April 1975.
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South Vietnam ... had a population of 16 million. Its first proper leader was Ngo Dinh Diem who was a fanatical catholic. As communism hated religion, Diem hated all that communism stood for. This is why he got America's support - he had a poor record on human rights but his rule was in the era of the "Domino Theory" and anybody who was anti-communist in the Far East was likely to receive American backing - regardless of their less than savoury background. Ngo ruled as a dictator along with his brother - Nhu. Their government was corrupt and brutal but it was also backed by America.
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South Vietnam has a tropical climate with a dry hot season from December to April and a wet season from May to November. The highlands around Dalat are particularly pleasant for most of the year. The south ... has some of the best white sand beaches and clear blue-green water in South East Asia.
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As South Vietnam imploded and Communist victory became certain, the American Embassy in Saigon became the focus of chaos. Ambassador Graham Martin resisted overt preparations for fear of causing panic. The result was the loss of critical days for preparation of the evacuation. At the same time, CIA units and others with independent transport got out who they could. Finally, President Gerald Ford ordered Operation Frequent Wind, the evacuation of Saigon, to begin the morning of 29 April. Military Sealift Command (MSC) had prepared for the contingency with ships offshore loaded with food, water, and medicine along with Marine security detachments on board.
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Due to a deteriorating military situation in South Vietnam in late 1964 and early 1965, the United States proposed the introduction of sizeable ground forces. Following RVN agreement, in May 1965, 1RAR was deployed to Bien Hoa, north-east of Saigon. It joined the US 173 Airborne Brigade as the third battalion of the Brigade. Australian and New Zealand artillery batteries, as well as other supporting arms and services units, later joined. In addition to its responsibilities for the security of the Bien Hoa air base, 173 Airborne Brigade conducted a significant range of operations against VC forces throughout III Corps Tactical Zone (IIICTZ). The tactical zone included the RVN capital city, Saigon, lying between the IICTZ of the Central Highlands and the IVCTZ incorporating the Mekong Delta.156
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South Vietnam