Australian defence personnel in the Republic of South Vietnam served in many ways, including through conscription, Navy transport and offshore support, Army service at Nui Dat and Vung Tau, Air Force transport, helicopter and medical evacuations, and Air force support at Ubon.
Australian personnel who served in the Vietnam War had very different wartime experiences. Most were regular servicemen and women, while some 19,000 national servicemen served with the Army in South Vietnam.
The Army’s main base was Nui Dat, with major support at Vung Tau, where personnel lived in tents or huts, worked in heat, dust and mud, and waited for mail from home. Navy personnel transported troops and supplies, served offshore and supported operations from the sea, while Air Force crews flew transport, helicopter and medical evacuations.
Away from the bases, service could be dangerous and exhausting. Soldiers patrolled jungle, rubber plantations and villages, faced land mines, booby traps and ambushes, helped set up Fire Support Bases and cleared Vietcong tunnels. Combat could lead to urgent ‘dust off’ flights, in which wounded men were evacuated by helicopter or other aircraft.
Daily life also included quieter moments, such as Christmas away from family, concerts by visiting entertainers, sport, letters, canteens and recreation leave in places such as Vung Tau or outside Vietnam. These experiences mixed boredom, fear, friendship, hardship and occasional relief from the war.
