Australia 's involvement in the Vietnam War was driven largely by the rise of communism in Southeast Asia after the Second World War , and the fear of its spread which developed in Australia during the 1950s and early 1960s . As a consequence , Australia supported South Vietnam throughout the early 1960s . In 1961 and 1962 , the leader of the South Vietnamese government , Ngo Dinh Diem , asked for assistance from the US and its allies in response to a growing insurgency supported by communist North Vietnam . Australia offered 30 military advisors from the Australian Army Training Team Vietnam , which became known simply as " The Team " . They arrived in July and August 1962 , beginning Australia 's involvement in the war . Later in August 1964 , the RAAF sent a flight of Caribou transport aircraft to the port city of Vung Tau .