On 7 January 1979, the People’s Army of Vietnam (PAVN) entered Phnom Penh along with members of the Kampuchean United Front for National Salvation (KUFNS).
After capturing Phnom Penh, the Khmer Rouge leadership was all but destroyed and the political and military structures of the old regime shattered. Many members of the Khmer Rouge leadership were forced to take refuge in Thailand, where they were largely welcomed by the Thai government and housed at the Khao Larn camp in Trat Province.