The Kingdom of Sweden took part in the Vietnam War beginning in the mid-1960s and until the Fall of Saigon in 1975. Unlike other Western powers, Sweden sided with North Vietnam, the Viet Cong, and the Soviet Union, sending humanitarian aid as well as political and diplomatic support in spite of its pro-Western stance; the country also publicly housed Americans who had fled the United States to avoid service until 1973.
This was due to Olof Palme's critical stance on America's involvement in the war, comparing the bombing of North Vietnam with the bombings Nazi Germany had done during World War II, which briefly led to relations between the two countries being frozen in 1972. Palme never supported the actions of the Viet Cong, rather driving attention towards the horrors of war.
External links
edit- Olof Palme and the Vietnam issue 1965-1983 (olofpalme.org)
- Why Did Sweden Support the Vietcong? (History Matters)