Story: Asian conflicts

Training Cambodian soldiers

Training Cambodian soldiers

Sergeant F. C. Nathan demonstrates the use of the M-16 assault rifle to Cambodian soldiers at Dong Ba Thin, Vietnam. By the end of 1971 New Zealand had withdrawn its combat troops and military medical personnel from Vietnam. New Zealand committed two training teams to Vietnam following the withdrawal of its main units. The first team, training South Vietnamese soldiers, was based at Chi Lang in southern South Vietnam, near the Cambodian border. A second team was based at Dong Ba Thin, at Cam Ranh Bay on the Vietnamese coast. This team trained Cambodian government soldiers to fight in the developing war against the Khmer Rouge. Both teams reported mixed results. In December 1972, following the election of a Labour government, the training teams were withdrawn, ending New Zealand's military involvement in Vietnam.

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National Army Museum, New Zealand
Reference: 1992.1145

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How to cite this page:

Ian McGibbon, 'Asian conflicts - Withdrawal from Vietnam', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/photograph/34543/training-cambodian-soldiers (accessed 24 April 2024)

Story by Ian McGibbon, published 20 Jun 2012, updated 1 Feb 2016