 Towards the end of 1976, while Vietnam and Kampuchea publicly appeared to be improving their relationships, the private suspicions of both countries' leadership grew. From the Vietnamese perspective, they were the patron of genuine Marxist – Leninist revolutions in South East Asia, so it was vital for them to exercise control over the Kampucheans and the Laotians. Indeed, that was the reason North Vietnam supported the Khmer Rouge during their fight against the Lon Nol regime, in the hope that the Kampuchean communists would adopt a pro-Vietnamese line upon their victory in the same way the Pathet Lao had done. However, their hopes were dashed as early as 1973, because North Vietnamese military formations operating in Khmer Rouge-occupied territories were occasionally subjected to armed attacks by their own allies. The Vietnamese position inside Kampuchea was further weakened after the end of the war, as there were no pro-Vietnamese elements left within the Kampuchean Communist Party.
