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63-717: Officially South Vietnam was aided by 6 countries that sent personnel, money and material to support the government and the South Vietnamese army . These states were Australia , New Zealand , Philippines , South Korea , Thailand , and the United States . Under this program, 5 states contributed troops – Thailand , Australia , New Zealand , South Korea , and the Philippines . ANZUS Pact allies Australia and New Zealand contributed several thousand men (61,000 and 3,890, respectively), but they agreed only to

126-663: A British military officer widely regarded as the worlds foremost expert in counterinsurgency warfare during the Vietnam War, thought that by 1972, the ARVN had developed into one of the best fighting forces in the world, comparing them favorably with the Israeli Defence Forces . Forced to carry the burden left by the Americans, the ARVN started to perform well, though with continued American air support. In 1972,

189-623: A coalition government. The First Government of National Unity was established in 1958 under Prince Souvanna Phouma , but collapsed after two months. The Prime Minister, who under the constitution appointed his ministers and received advice from the King, made a deal with his brother Prince Souphanouvong . Souvanna Phouma gave the Communists two seats in the Cabinet, and in return Souphanouvong would integrate 1,500 of his 6,000 Communist troops into

252-651: A continuing desertion problem. Starting in 1969, President Richard Nixon started the process of " Vietnamization ", pulling out American forces and rendering the ARVN capable of fighting an effective war against the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) and VC. Slowly, the ARVN began to expand from its counter-insurgency role to become the primary ground defense against the PAVN/VC. From 1969 to 1971, there were about 22,000 ARVN combat deaths per year. Starting in 1968, South Vietnam began calling up every available man for service in

315-484: A destroyer to the effort as well. More than 500 Australian personnel were killed during 10 years of operations and 3,000 were wounded. For its part, New Zealand sent more than 3,800 troops between 1964 and 1972 as part of the Allied war effort. In addition to providing artillery batteries, combat engineers and medical personnel, New Zealand sent elements of the country's elite Special Air Service. Pilots also served as part of

378-838: A hospital in Saigon. The U.S. had provided the ARVN with 793,994 M1 carbines , 220,300 M1 Garands and 520 M1C/M1D rifles, 640,000 M-16 rifles , 34,000 M79 grenade launchers , 40,000 radios, 20,000 quarter-ton trucks, 214 M41 Walker Bulldog light tanks, 77 M577 Command tracks (command version of the M113 APC), 930 M113 (APC/ACAVs), 120 V-100s (wheeled armored cars), and 190 M48 tanks. Operations Enhance and Enhance Plus an American effort in November 1972 managed to transfer 59 more M48A3 Patton tanks, 100 additional M-113A1 ACAVs (Armored Cavalry Assault Vehicles), and over 500 extra aircraft to South Vietnam. Despite such impressive figures,

441-411: A limited support role. Australia sent more than 61,000 soldiers who fought 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

504-651: A more modern conventional force using helicopter deployment in combat . During the American intervention in Vietnam, the ARVN was reduced to playing a defensive role with an incomplete modernisation, and transformed again following Vietnamization , it was upgeared, expanded, and reconstructed to fulfill the role of the departing American forces. By 1974, it had become much more effective with foremost counterinsurgency expert and Nixon adviser Robert Thompson noting that Regular Forces were very well-trained and second only to

567-745: A number of other nations sent along small contingents of medical, transportation, construction and other experts as well as material help to the South Vietnamese government in Saigon . These nations were: Afghanistan , Argentina , Belgium , Brazil , Canada , Costa Rica , Denmark , Ecuador , France , Greece , Guatemala , Honduras , Iran , Ireland , Italy , Japan , Laos , Liberia , Luxembourg , Malaysia , Morocco , Netherlands , Norway , Pakistan , South Africa , Spain , Switzerland , Taiwan , Tunisia , Turkey , United Kingdom , Uruguay , Venezuela and West Germany . Army of

630-869: A political entity. The sudden and complete destruction of the ARVN shocked the world. Even their opponents were surprised at how quickly South Vietnam collapsed. Five ARVN generals died by suicide during late April to avoid capture by the PAVN/VC and potential reeducation camps. General Le Nguyen Vy died via suicide in Lai Khe shortly after hearing Duong Van Minh surrender from the radio. Both ARVN generals in Can Tho, Le Van Hung and Nguyen Khoa Nam, took his own life after deciding not to prolong resistance against outnumbered PAVN/VC soldiers in Mekong Region. Brigadier General Tran Van Hai took his own life by poison at Dong Tam Base Camp . General Pham Van Phu died by suicide at

693-685: A program to support the local currency, the kip . King Savang Vatthana visited the United States in 1963 to meet with President Kennedy . Laos was also supported by France , Australia , Burma , Thailand and Japan . In 1960, amidst a series of rebellions, fighting broke out between the Royal Lao Army and the Soviet Union -backed, communist Pathet Lao , a second Provisional Government of National Unity formed by Prince Souvanna Phouma in 1962 proved to be unsuccessful, and

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756-487: A result, only a little fuel and ammunition were being sent to South Vietnam. South Vietnamese air and ground vehicles were immobilized by lack of spare parts. Troops went into battle without batteries for their radios, and their medics lacked basic supplies. South Vietnamese rifles and artillery pieces were rationed to three rounds of ammunition per day in the last months of the war. Without enough supplies and ammunition, ARVN forces were quickly thrown into chaos and defeated by

819-479: A sovereign, independent Laos, but did not stipulate who would rule the country. In the years that followed, three groups, led by the so-called Three Princes , contended for power: the neutralists under Prince Souvanna Phouma , the right-wing party under Prince Boun Oum of Champassak, and the left-wing, North Vietnamese -backed Pathet Lao under Prince Souphanouvong and future Prime Minister Kaysone Phomvihane . The Pathet Lao would eventually emerge victorious in

882-597: The American and Israeli forces in the Free World and with General Creighton Abrams remarking that 70% of units were on par with the United States Army . However, the withdrawal of American forces by Vietnamization meant the armed forces could not effectively fulfill all of the aims of the program and had become completely dependent on U.S. equipment since it was meant to fulfill the departing role of

945-647: The Cao Đài and Hòa Hảo as well as to raid Buddhist temples, which according to Diệm, were harboring VC guerrillas. The most notorious of these attacks occurred on the night of August 21, 1963, during the Xá Lợi Pagoda raids conducted by the ARVN Special Forces , which caused a death toll estimated to range into the hundreds. In 1963, Diệm was killed in a coup d'état carried out by ARVN officers and encouraged by American officials such as Henry Lodge . In

1008-517: The Ho Chi Minh trail that passed through neighbouring Laos. Thailand contributed more than 12,000 troops, of which 351 were killed in action in Vietnam. Beginning in 1966, Philippines 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

1071-587: The Laotian Civil War and establish the Lao People's Democratic Republic in 1975. The Kingdom of Laos was officially proclaimed when the new Constitution was promulgated in 1947, as part of the colonial French Union , and obtained full independence in 1953. The monarchy lasted until 2 December 1975, when the last king Sisavang Vatthana abdicated the throne to the Pathet Lao , who abolished

1134-612: The Paris Peace Accords between the United States and North Vietnam. In April 1974, another Provisional Government of National Unity was established, with Prince Souvanna Phouma as Prime Minister. However, by this time, Pathet Lao forces controlled large areas of the country, and following the fall of Saigon and Phnom Penh to communist forces in April 1975, removed any chances of a coalition government forming in Laos. Following

1197-734: The Royal Lao Army , the Royal Lao Navy , and the Royal Lao Air Force , which was under the control of the Ministry of Defence in Vientiane. The United States supplied the Royal Lao Navy with twenty river patrol boats and sixteen amphibious landing craft. Between 1962 and 1971, the United States provided Laos with an estimated US$ 500 million in military assistance. The Royal Lao Government had close relations with

1260-522: The United States , which gave the country aid and assisted it in the campaign against the Pathet Lao and the North Vietnamese Communist movement. During 1957, the United States spent more per capita on foreign aid for Laos than it had on any other nation. That worked out as US$ 150 per Laotian, twice the average person's annual income. Some of the money went to support pro-American candidates in an election, while other money went to

1323-534: The United States Presidential Unit Citation . The ARVN suffered 254,256 recorded deaths between 1960 and 1974, with the highest number of recorded deaths being in 1972, with 39,587 combat deaths, while approximately 58,000 U.S. troops died during the war. United States experience with the ARVN generated a catalog of complaints about its performance, with various officials saying 'it did not pull its weight,' 'content to let

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1386-558: The 1954 Geneva agreements , French Indochina ceased to exist and by 1956 all French Union troops had withdrawn from Vietnam , Laos , and Cambodia . In 1955, by the order of Prime Minister Diệm , the VNA crushed the armed forces of the Bình Xuyên . On 26 October 1955, the military was reorganized by the administration of President Ngô Đình Diệm who then formally established the Army of

1449-492: The ARVN was dissolved. While some high-ranking officers had fled the country to the United States or elsewhere, thousands of former ARVN officers were sent to re-education camps by the communist government of the unified Socialist Republic of Vietnam . Five ARVN generals died by suicide to avoid capture. On 8 March 1949, after the Élysée Accords , the State of Vietnam was recognized by France as an independent country ruled by

1512-608: The ARVN with over one thousand aircraft, making the RVNAF the fourth largest air force in the world. These figures are deceptive, however, as the U.S. began to curtail military aid. The same situation happened to the Democratic Republic of Vietnam , since their allies, the Soviet Union, and China has also cut down military support, forcing them to use obsolete T-34 tanks and SU-100 tank destroyers in battle. In

1575-661: The ARVN, reaching a strength of one million soldiers by 1972. In 1970, they performed well in the Cambodian Incursion and were executing three times as many operations as they had during the American-led war period. However, the ARVN equipment continued to be of lower standards than their American and other allies, even as the U.S. tried to upgrade ARVN technology. The officer corps was still the biggest problem. Leaders were too often inept, being poorly trained, corrupt and lacking morale. Still, Sir Robert Thompson ,

1638-412: The Americans do the fighting and dying,' and 'weak in dedication, direction, and discipline.' The President remained prone to issue instructions directly to field units, cutting across the entire chain of command. Major shortcomings identified by U.S. officers included a general lack of motivation, indicated, for example, by officers having an inclination for rear area jobs rather than combat command, and

1701-508: The Laos and Cambodian borders. President Nixon dispatched bombers in Operation Linebacker to provide air support for the ARVN when it seemed that South Vietnam was about to be lost. In desperation, President Nguyễn Văn Thiệu fired the incompetent General Hoàng Xuân Lãm and replaced him with General Ngô Quang Trưởng . He gave the order that all deserters would be executed and pulled enough forces together in order to prevent

1764-579: The PAVN from taking Huế . Finally, with considerable US air and naval support, as well as hard fighting by the ARVN soldiers, the Easter Offensive was halted. ARVN forces counter-attacked and succeeded in driving some of the PAVN out of South Vietnam, though they did retain control of northern Quảng Trị Province near the DMZ. At the end of 1972, Operation Linebacker II helped achieve a negotiated end to

1827-632: The PAVN launched the Easter Offensive , an all-out attack against South Vietnam across the Vietnamese Demilitarized Zone and from its sanctuaries in Laos and Cambodia. The assault combined infantry wave assaults, artillery and the first massive use of armored forces by the PAVN. Although the T-54 tanks proved vulnerable to LAW rockets, the ARVN took heavy losses. The PAVN forces took Quảng Trị Province and some areas along

1890-601: The Pathet Lao fight the Royal Lao Army. The attack resulted in the army largely demobilizing, leaving the conflict to irregular forces raised by the United States and Thailand. Massive aerial bombardment against Pathet Lao and PAVN forces was carried out by the United States. It has been reported that Laos was hit by an average of one B-52 bombload every eight minutes, 24 hours a day, between 1964 and 1973. US bombers dropped more ordnance on Laos in this period than

1953-525: The Republic of Vietnam The Army of the Republic of Vietnam ( ARVN ; Vietnamese : Lục quân Việt Nam Cộng hòa ; French : Armée de la république du Viêt Nam ) composed the ground forces of the South Vietnamese military from its inception in 1955 to the Fall of Saigon in April 1975. At the ARVN's peak, an estimated 1 in 9 citizens of South Vietnam were enlisted, composed of Regular Forces and

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2016-577: The Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) on 30 December 1955. The air force was established as a separate service known as the Republic of Vietnam Air Force (RVNAF). Early on, the focus of the army was the guerrilla fighters of the Viet Cong (VC), formed to oppose the Diệm administration. The United States, under President John F. Kennedy sent advisors and a great deal of financial support to aid the ARVN in combating

2079-473: The United States initiated a bombing campaign against the North Vietnamese positions, supported regular and irregular anticommunist forces in Laos, including those led by Hmong General Vang Pao , and supported Army of the Republic of Vietnam incursions into Laos. It also provided supplies, training and funding for the central government. In 1968, the PAVN launched a multi-division attack to help

2142-404: The United States was highly critical of the ARVN, it continued to be entirely U.S.-armed and funded. Although the American news media has often portrayed the Vietnam War as a primarily American and North Vietnamese conflict, the ARVN carried the brunt of the fight before and after large-scale American involvement, and participated in many major operations with American troops. ARVN troops pioneered

2205-430: The United States. Unique in serving a dual military-civilian administrative purpose, in direct competition with the Viet Cong , the ARVN had also become a component of political power and suffered from continual issues of political loyalty appointments, corruption in leadership, factional infighting, and occasional open internal conflict. After the fall of Saigon to North Vietnam 's People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN),

2268-546: The VNA quickly became a modern army modeled after the Expeditionary Corps. It included infantry, artillery, signals, armored cavalry, airborne, airforce, navy and a national military academy. By 1953, troopers as well as officers were all Vietnamese, the latter having been trained in Ecoles des Cadres such as Da Lat , including Chief of Staff General Nguyễn Văn Hinh who was a French Union airforce veteran. After

2331-741: The Vietnamese Emperor Bảo Đại , and the Vietnamese National Army (VNA) was soon created. The VNA fought in joint operations with the French Union 's French Far East Expeditionary Corps against the Viet Minh forces led by Ho Chi Minh . The VNA fought in a wide range of campaigns including the Battle of Nà Sản (1952), Operation Atlas (1953) and the Battle of Dien Bien Phu (1954). Benefiting from French assistance,

2394-621: The Vietnamese were not as well equipped as the American infantrymen they replaced. The 1972 offensive had been driven back only with a massive American bombing campaign against North Vietnam. The Case–Church Amendment had effectively nullified the Paris Peace Accords, and as a result the United States had cut aid to South Vietnam drastically in 1974, just months before the final enemy offensive, allowing North Vietnam to invade South Vietnam without fear of U.S. military action. As

2457-401: The cessation of American aid along with the growing disenchantment of the South Vietnamese people and the rampant corruption and incompetence of South Vietnam political leaders and ARVN general staff. Without the necessary funds and facing a collapse in South Vietnamese troop and civilian morale, it was becoming increasingly difficult for the ARVN to achieve a victory against the PAVN. Moreover,

2520-512: The communist threat, the army was expanded to 192,000 with four corps, nine divisions, one airborne brigade, one SF group, three separate regiments, one territorial regiment, 86 ranger companies, and 19 separate battalions, as well as support units in 1963, and a force strength of 355,135 in 1970. Meanwhile, the supporting militia forces grew from a combined initial size of 116,000 in 1956, declined to 86,000 in 1959, and then were pushed up to 218,687 RF & 179,015 PF in 1970. The effect of expanding

2583-522: The communist victories in both countries, they advanced on to Vientiane. On 2 December 1975 in Vientiane, Prince Vong Savang submitted the letter of abdication of King Savang Vatthana to the Pathet Lao. The Lao People's Democratic Republic was established with Prince Souphanouvong as President . Kaysone Phomvihane acted as Prime Minister and Secretary-General of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party . About 30,000 to 40,000 citizens and members of

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2646-616: The complete disintegration of the South Vietnamese government. Withdrawing ARVN forces found the roads choked with refugees making troop movement almost impossible. North Vietnamese forces took advantage of the growing instability, and with the abandoned equipment of the routing ARVN, they mounted heavy attacks on all fronts. With collapse all but inevitable, many ARVN generals abandoned their troops to fend for themselves and ARVN soldiers deserted en masse . The 18th Division held out at Xuân Lộc from 9 to 21 April before being forced to withdraw. President Thiệu resigned his office on 21 April and left

2709-469: The confusion that followed, General Dương Văn Minh took control, but he was only the first in a succession of ARVN generals to assume the presidency of South Vietnam. During these years, the United States began taking more control of the war against the VC and the role of the ARVN became less and less significant. They were also plagued by continuing problems of severe corruption amongst the officer corps. Although

2772-466: The country. At Bien Hoa, ARVN soldiers made a strong resistance against PAVN forces, however, ARVN defenses at Cu Chi and Hoc Mon start to collapse under the overwhelming PAVN attacks. In the Mekong Delta and Phu Quoc Island, many of ARVN soldiers were aggressive and intact to prevent VC taking over any provincial capitals. Less than a month after Huế, Saigon fell and South Vietnam ceased to exist as

2835-417: The insurgents. A major campaign, developed by Ngô Đình Nhu and later resurrected under another name was the " Strategic Hamlet Program " which was regarded as unsuccessful by Western media because it was "inhumane" to move villagers from the countryside to fortified villages. ARVN leaders and Diệm were criticized by the foreign press when the troops were used to crush armed anti-government religious groups like

2898-601: The kingdom and proclaimed Laos as a communist state . Following the Franco-Lao Treaty of 1953, which gave Laos independence, the Royal Lao Government took control of the country. This treaty established a constitutional monarchy, with Sisavang Vong as King and Prince Souvanna Phouma as Prime Minister . Many attempts were made by the Three Princes and King Sisavang Vatthana to establish

2961-552: 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 . South Korean President Park Chung Hee agreed to contribute troops in return for U.S. support in the Korean War as well as U.S. aid money for his modernization program. South Korea

3024-539: The more voluntary Regional Forces and the Popular Force militias. It is estimated to have suffered 1,394,000 casualties (killed and wounded) during the Vietnam War . The ARVN began as a post-colonial army that was trained by and closely affiliated with the United States and had engaged in conflict since its inception. Several changes occurred throughout its lifetime, initially from a 'blocking-force' to

3087-552: The royal army. Prince Souphanouvong was given the post of Minister of Planning, Reconstruction and Urbanization, while another member of the Communist Party was named Minister of Religion and Fine Arts. The legislature of the Kingdom was bicameral. The Kingdom of Laos was divided into five military regions. The Royal Lao Armed Forces were responsible for the defense of the country, comprising three branches of service:

3150-506: The situation steadily deteriorated thereafter as the conflict in Laos became a focus for superpower rivalry. During the North Vietnamese invasion of Laos , the Pathet Lao were backed militarily by the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) and Vietcong . Laos was also dragged into the Vietnam War after parts of Laos were invaded and occupied by North Vietnam for use as a supply route for its war against South Vietnam . In response,

3213-468: The summer of 1974, Nixon resigned under the pressure of the Watergate scandal and was succeeded by Gerald Ford . With the war growing incredibly unpopular at home, combined with a severe economic recession and mounting budget deficits, Congress cut funding to South Vietnam for the upcoming fiscal year from 1 billion to 700 million dollars. Historians have attributed the fall of Saigon in 1975 to

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3276-400: The throne to the Pathet Lao during the civil war in Laos , who abolished the monarchy in favour of a Marxist–Leninist state called the Lao People's Democratic Republic , which has controlled Laos ever since. Given self-rule with the new Constitution in 1947 as part of the French Union and a federation with the rest of French Indochina , the 1953 Franco-Lao Treaty finally established

3339-435: The total land force from about 220,000 in 1960 to around 750,000 in 1970 can be imagined, along with the troop quality issues that resulted. The ARVN inherited the mix of French and American weaponry of the VNA, but was progressively reequipped originally with American World War II/Korean War era weapons and then from the mid-1960s with a range of more up to date American weaponry. Kingdom of Laos The Kingdom of Laos

3402-480: The use of the M113 armored personnel carrier as an infantry fighting vehicle by fighting mounted rather than as a "battle taxi" as originally designed, and the armored cavalry (ACAV) modifications were adopted based on ARVN experience. One notable ARVN unit equipped with M113s, the 3d Armored Cavalry Squadron , used the new tactic so proficiently and with such extraordinary heroism against hostile forces that they earned

3465-453: The war between the U.S. and the Hanoi government. By March 1973, in accordance with the Paris Peace Accords the United States had completely pulled its troops out of Vietnam. The ARVN was left to fight alone, but with all the weapons and technologies that their allies left behind. With massive technological support they had roughly four times as many heavy weapons as their enemies. The U.S. left

3528-539: The well-supplied PAVN, no longer having to worry about U.S. bombing. The victorious Communists sent over 250,000 ARVN soldiers to prison camps. Prisoners were incarcerated for periods ranging from weeks to 18 years. The communists called these prison camps " reeducation camps ". The Americans and South Vietnamese had laid large minefields during the war, and former ARVN soldiers were made to clear them. Thousands died from sickness and starvation and were buried in unmarked graves. The South Vietnamese national military cemetery

3591-416: The withdrawal of U.S. aid encouraged North Vietnam to begin a new military offensive against South Vietnam. This resolve was strengthened when the new American administration did not think itself bound to this promise Nixon made to Thieu of a "severe retaliation" if Hanoi broke the 1973 Paris Peace Accords. The fall of Huế to PAVN forces on 26 March 1975 began an organized rout of the ARVN that culminated in

3654-604: Was a strong advocate of the Convention on Cluster Munitions to ban the weapons and assist victims and hosted the First Meeting of States Parties to the convention in November 2010. In 1975, the Pathet Lao, along with the PAVN and backed by the Soviet Union, overthrew the royalist Lao government, forcing King Savang Vatthana to abdicate on 2 December 1975. A ceasefire was finally attained in February 1973, following

3717-670: Was by far the largest contributor to the Many Flags commitment and its contingent peaked at about 50,000 at one time. Over several years, some 300,000 Korean infantry and marines served in South Vietnam. More than 5,000 of the country's soldiers were killed in 9 years of fighting and 10,000 were wounded. In 1965 Thailand sent 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

3780-407: Was dropped during the whole of the Second World War. Of the 260 million bombs that rained down, particularly on Xiangkhouang Province on the Plain of Jars , some 80 million failed to explode and continue to injure and kill residents to this day. Laos is the most heavily bombed country, per capita, in the world. Because it was particularly heavily affected by cluster bombs during this war, Laos

3843-512: Was still controversial domestically. One of the earliest foreign contributors to the Saigon government was the 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. In addition,

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3906-480: Was the form of government in Laos from 1947 to 1975. Located in Southeast Asia at the heart of the Indochinese Peninsula , it was bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, North Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the southeast, and Thailand to the west and southwest. The country was governed as a constitutional monarchy beginning with its independence on 22 October 1953. It survived until December 1975, when its last king, Sisavang Vatthana , surrendered

3969-803: Was vandalized and abandoned, and a mass grave of ARVN soldiers was made nearby. The charity "The Returning Casualty" in the early 2000s attempted to excavate and identify remains from some camp graves and restore the cemetery. Reporter Morley Safer who returned in 1989 and saw the poverty of a former soldier described the ARVN as "that wretched army that was damned by the victors, abandoned by its allies, and royally and continuously screwed by its commanders". The 1956 army structure of four conventional infantry divisions (8,100 each) and six light divisions (5,800 each) were reorganised according to American advice as seven full infantry divisions (10,450 each) and three corps headquarters by September 1959. The three armed services together numbered around 137,000 in 1960. In face of

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