The Malaysian Connection in the Vietnam War

Abstract

This paper examines an often neglected aspect of the Vietnam War ? the Malay sian connection. Many books and articles on the Vietnam War make only passing references to Malaya or Malaysia and how it featured in that war. Since the Malaysian connection actually formed an important aspect of the Vietnam War and merits more attention, this paper will concentrate on studying the different manifestations of that connection. Very briefly, during the Vietnam War from the end of World War II to the fall of Saigon in April 1975, the Malaysian connection was manifested in four major ways. Firstly, there were constant official Malayan or Malaysian references to the domino theory: it was argued that if Vietnam fell to the communists, Malaysia and other Southeast Asian countries would eventually succumb to a similar fate. Secondly, the Malaysian connection was manifested through Anglo American co-operation over Vietnam. This co-operation led the British to support the U.S. war effort in Vietnam and to use Malaya to train South Vietnamese soldiers in counter-insurgency and police administration. The United States also adopted plans and strategies that the British had successfully employed in Malaya to fight communist insurgency during the Emergency. These plans included the resettlement of villagers and the use of defoliant chemicals in the jungle. Britain and the United States also defined spheres of responsibility in Southeast Asia, with Britain being responsible for Malaya and the United States for Vietnam. Thirdly, the Malaysian connection was reflected in the Malayan and Malaysiah govern ments' support for the U.S. war effort in Vietnam, even after independence from Britain in 1957. Besides continuing to train South Vietnamese officials, Malaya gave arms to Vietnam when the Emergency ended in 1960 and allowed U.S. servicemen based in Vietnam to come to Malaya for Rest and Recreation leave. Fourthly, Malaysia tried, with other countries, to bring the Vietnam War to a peaceful end. All four manifestations of the Malaysian connection revolved around one major theme ? the containment of communism.