A long stalemate ended when Soviet support faded, Vietnam withdrew in 1989, and the Paris Agreements were signed in 1991.
In the 1980s, the war became a stalemate. Vietnam and its Cambodian government controlled most of the country. A resistance coalition fought from the Thai border, supported by China, ASEAN and the USA.
In 1982, ASEAN helped form the Coalition Government of Democratic Kampuchea. It joined the Khmer Rouge with two non-communist groups, one led by Prince Sihanouk. The coalition kept Cambodia's UN seat, isolating the Vietnamese-backed government.
The occupation was costly for Vietnam, which faced economic hardship and isolation. Under Gorbachev, the USSR cut aid and wanted better relations with China, which had demanded a Vietnamese withdrawal.
Vietnam withdrew its troops in September 1989. The Paris Peace Agreements of October 1991 created a UN transitional authority, UNTAC, to organise elections, which were held in 1993.
- CGDK
- Formed 1982 with ASEAN help.
- Vietnamese withdrawal
- September 1989.
- Paris Peace Agreements
- October 1991; UNTAC; elections in 1993.
Worked example: Why did the war end?
Weigh the factors behind Vietnam's withdrawal.
- Cost: occupation drained Vietnam's economy.
- Soviet change: Gorbachev reduced support and sought detente with China.
- Diplomacy: ASEAN kept Vietnam isolated at the UN.
- Judgement: the end of the Cold War removed the external support that sustained the occupation.
Watch out for this
The Khmer Rouge were defeated and disappeared after 1979.
They survived on the Thai border, joined the coalition that kept Cambodia's UN seat, and fought on into the 1990s.
Check your understanding
What was the Coalition Government of Democratic Kampuchea?
- An alliance of the Khmer Rouge and two non-communist groups that kept Cambodia's UN seat
- Vietnam's puppet government
- A UN peacekeeping mission