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Australia-Vietnam relations

Extract one from Visit to Australia of the President of Vietnam (1957). Film Australia Collection, 1375893. Extract two from The Unlucky Country (1967). Film Australia Collection, 20437, National Film and Sound Archive

This clip is made up of extracts from two films:

1. Visit to Australia of the President of Vietnam (1957): The President of South Vietnam visited Australia three years after the Geneva Accords had divided Vietnam into Northern and Southern areas pending an election.

2. The Unlucky Country (1967): Made during the Vietnam War by the Commonwealth Film Unit for the Australian Department of Defence, this film outlines the dual objectives of the South Vietnamese Government: to develop the country and win the war.

Activities

1. What does this short film clip show? Summarise what you see and hear.

2. Does the film appear to have a main purpose or message? If so, what do you think it is?

3. Who made the film clip and when was it made? Use this information to try to work out why the film was made. Does this change what you think about the purpose of the film?

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