Vietnam War

• When/where/who was involved?


  • Where: Vietnam

  • When: 1955-1975

  • Between: communist North Vietnam (Ho Chi Minh - wanted communist Vietnam) against South Vietnam and the US (Ban Dai - wanted close ties with the West with a capitalist Vietnam)
• Why was NZ involved in this war?

  • New Zealand was involved in the Vietnam War because it was an ally of the USA.

  • It had a treaty with Australia, New Zealand and the United States known as the ANZUS treaty (1951).

  • Between 1963 and 1975 we joined the fight with our allies.

  • This was the first war in which New Zealand did not fight alongside its traditional ally, Great Britain.
• How did the war affect our identity?

  1. New Zealand's involvement in Vietnam was highly controversial

  2. The war was shown on TV. Many saw the horror of war first time and wondered why were involved

  3. Many protested. Few New Zealanders waved placards in the streets in 1965, but by the end of the decade thousands were marching against the war

  4. For many people the war questioned why we were 'servants' to the USA and why we were in the war at all

  5. It triggered a wave of change that eventually led to New Zealand leaving the ANZUS treaty – we moved away from having the USA as an Ally

  6. We started our move to become more 'independent', standing on our own two feet, whilst maintaining close ties to our former allies of the UK and the USA
• What were the consequences for NZ and NZers?

  • 37 men died while on active service and 187 were wounded.

  • 2 civilians serving with the surgical and Red Cross teams died.

  • For those who served in Vietnam they had to deal with being soldiers in an unpopular war.
• How is this war remembered today?

  • The Vietnam war is well known in popular culture. However, what and how New Zealand was involved is far less known.
• How significant was NZ’s contribution to this war?


  • The first NZ troops into action were the gunners of 161 Battery, Royal New Zealand Artillery. On 16 July

  1965, they fired their first shells near Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City).

  • More than 3000 New Zealand military and civilian personnel served in Vietnam between 1963 and 1975. At its peak in 1968, New Zealand's military force numbered only 548

  • In contrast to the world wars, New Zealand's contribution was modest.