Vietnamese Invasion of Cambodia: Fall of the Khmer Rouge
On December 25, 1978, Vietnamese forces launched a full-scale invasion of Cambodia following years of Khmer Rouge border raids and massacres of Vietnamese civilians. Within two weeks, on January 7, 1979, Vietnamese troops captured Phnom Penh and the Khmer Rouge regime collapsed. Pol Pot and his leadership fled to the Thai border jungle, continuing guerrilla warfare for nearly two decades. Vietnam installed Heng Samrin's government; the occupation lasted until 1989 and was condemned internationally. Both the US and China continued recognizing the Khmer Rouge at the UN until 1993. China launched a punitive invasion of Vietnam in February 1979 partly in retaliation. The fall of the Khmer Rouge ended the genocide but left Cambodia devastated: its educated class largely destroyed, infrastructure ruined, and society traumatized. Pol Pot died under Khmer Rouge house arrest on April 15, 1998, having never faced international justice.
- Year: 1979 CE
- Category: Military
