Tet Offensive: The Key Facts
What was the Tet Offensive?
The Tet Offensive was a North Vietnamese covert opertion during the Vietnam War that destroyed 100 cities and towns in South Vietnam. The Vietnam War occurred because the North Vietnamese (also known as the Vietcong) wanted to gain control of the whole of Vietnam and wanted the country to become Communist. The U.S.A. was opposed to the spread of communism and of Soviet Union influence throughout the world and so fought alongside the South Vietnamese.
Who was involved?:
South Vietnam & United States of America VS. North Vietnam Army(NVA)
Where did it happen?
South Vietnam in approximately100 cities
When did it happen?:
January 31st ,1968 / The Vietnamese Tet New Year Holiday during a 7 day cease fire when no one expected an attack.
How did it happen?:
The North Vietnamese broke the Tet New Year cease fire and attacked South Vietnamese cities and a U.S. Base
The Tet Offensive was a North Vietnamese covert opertion during the Vietnam War that destroyed 100 cities and towns in South Vietnam. The Vietnam War occurred because the North Vietnamese (also known as the Vietcong) wanted to gain control of the whole of Vietnam and wanted the country to become Communist. The U.S.A. was opposed to the spread of communism and of Soviet Union influence throughout the world and so fought alongside the South Vietnamese.
Who was involved?:
South Vietnam & United States of America VS. North Vietnam Army(NVA)
Where did it happen?
South Vietnam in approximately100 cities
When did it happen?:
January 31st ,1968 / The Vietnamese Tet New Year Holiday during a 7 day cease fire when no one expected an attack.
How did it happen?:
The North Vietnamese broke the Tet New Year cease fire and attacked South Vietnamese cities and a U.S. Base
Slide Show Of Images from the Tet Offensive, January 1968
Why was the Tet Offensive a turning point during the Vietnam War?
The high casualty count on both sides led to mass protest against the Vietnam War in the U.S.A.
The US Secretary of Defense at the time, who had overseen Vietnamese operations stepped down
Public Opinion in the U.S.A. began to turn against the president; Lyndon B. Johnson and he lost considerable support for continuing U.S. involvement in Vietnam.