50 years on, Long Tan rememberered

Fifty years ago in August, Australian soldiers fought and died at Long Tan in one of the fiercest fights of Australia's controversial involvement in Vietnam.

Veterans Affairs Minister Dan Tehan said the 18 soldiers who died at Long Tan and more than 500 who died in a decade in Vietnam will be remembered with a series of commemorations, starting with an official reception for veterans at Parliament House, Canberra, on the evening of August 17.

That will be followed by a "Stand To" service at the Australian War Memorial at 7am on August 18, a commemorative service at the Vietnam War memorial in Canberra and a special commemoration for Long Tan veterans at Enoggera Barracks, Brisbane, later that day.