Paris Agreement on Ending the War and Restoring Peace in Vietnam (Paris Peace Agreement) signed on January 27, 1973, laid the foundation for a new period of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV)’s international relations. With the US commitment to healing the Vietnam war wounds, particularly after the International Conference on Vietnam (27/2-2/3/1973) that ratified the fundamental rights of the Vietnamese nation, many western European, American and Southeast Asian countries established diplomatic relations with the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, including some US allies. On February 26 1973, the Australian government under the Labour Party announced the recognition of DRV and the official establishment of diplomatic relations at the ambassador-level. With the unification of Vietnam in 1975, that relationship leapt to new development. The Cambodian issue, however, then severely impacted on Vietnam-Australian relations. This paper analyzes the relationship between Vietnam and Australia from 1973 to 1991 on aspects of politics, diplomacy, trade, and official aid.
