The involvement of Thailand in the Vietnam War (1954-1975)

Abstract

This study aims to study the involvement of Thailand in the Vietnam War (Second Indochina War) (1954 – 1975). There was the fact that through Vietnam War, Thailand sent its troops to fight in Vietnam front, permit United States to use Thai territory to strike North Vietnam, support the U.S in the defense of South Vietnam from North Vietnam and Viet Cong attacks. This study examines how Thailand step by step involved in Vietnam War. Entering the early Cold War period, the Communist Wave after the victory of Communist China in 1949 with the establishment of People’s Republic of China spread out to Indochina states, Thailand considered Communist as a threat to Thai security in particular and to the whole region in general. To protect country to the threat of Communist, Thailand had a turning point in its foreign policy when Thai Prime Minister Luang Phibun Songkhram decided to firmly align the country with United States against the Soviet Union, China and the Viet Minh, as well against with the Communist. From this initial involvement Thailand, step by step, became fully involved in the Second Indochina War, in particular after the U.S. military intervention from the beginning of the 1960s. This study also aims to infer the consequences in the Thai foreign policy after the Vietnam War as well as the lessons for Thailand in maintaining good relations with its neighbors, in particular the lesson about the combination harmoniously of nation's benefit and neighboring countries' benefit as well as the region’s benefit, especially at this time of ASEAN’s effort to build up regional solidarity as a firm basis for “ASEAN Community” that is coming into being.