The French were unwilling to relinquish their colony, and so they went to war with the Vietminh forces that were supported by communist China. When the French were crushed at the battle of Dien Bien Phu, they were forced into peace negotiations. At a conference held in Geneva, it was decided that the country be split in two, with the communist Vietminh in the north, and the French and their supporters in the south. Though elections were planned to unify the country in two years, they would never come.
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Foreign military involvement in Vietnam began in 1965, following the killing of the South Vietnamese President Diem in a coup. The ensuing confusion presented the communists in the north with an ideal opportunity to seize control of the south. Despite the popular view that Australia followed America blindly to war, we became involved in the conflict for a multitude of reasons. The government of the time was placing a great emphasis on regional security, trusting in their policy of 'forward defence' (Cowie, page 246). It was reasoned that if we could maintain security in the broader region, than the "orange lava" of communism would never reach Australia's shore, and therefore keep the spread of China's communism under wraps. It is partly true that Australia followed America to war in order to win favour with them, committing troops as "a continuing requirement for cold war" (Evans, page 218). The reasoning was that if ever we came under threat they would be indebted to assist us. It was also our way of ensuring their presence in the region by supporting them so they would not lose interest or fervor concerning the security of the region.
At the time of the Vietnam War, Australia was not only undergoing a political revolution, but also a social revolution. More so than ever before, people were expressing their views freely, and with the Vietnam War and conscription being the most controversial issues of the time, they naturally drew a considerable amount of attention.