what is Tet Offensive?

Answer 1

The Tet Offensive
On January 21, 1968, an intense barrage of artillery hit the US Marine base at Khe Sanh in northwest South Vietnam. This presaged a siege and battle that would last for seventy-seven days and would see 6,000 Marines hold off 20,000 North Vietnamese. Anticipating that American forces would be drawn north to the fighting at Khe Sanh, Viet Cong units broke the traditional Tet (Lunar New Year) cease-fire on January 30, 1968, by launching major attacks against most cities in South Vietnam.
For the next two months, US and ARVN forces successfully beat back the Viet Cong assault, with particularly heavy combat in the cities of Hue and Saigon.
Once the fighting had ended, the Viet Cong had been permanently crippled and ceased to be an effective fighting force. On April 1, US forces began Operation Pegasus to relieve the Marines at Khe Sanh. After opening the road to Khe Sanh (Route 9) with a mix of air mobile and ground forces, US troops linked up with the besieged Marines on April 8.
Aftereffects of Tet
While the Tet Offensive proved to be a military victory for the US and ARVN, it was a political and media disaster. Public support began to erode as Americans started to question the handling of the conflict. Others doubted Westmoreland’s ability to command, leading to his replacement in June 1968, by General Creighton Abrams. President Johnson’s popularity plummeted and he withdrew as a candidate for reelection. Ultimately, it was the media’s reaction and stressing of a widening “credibility gap” that did the most damage to the Johnson Administration’s efforts. Noted reporters, such as Walter Cronkite, began to openly criticize Johnson and the military leadership, as well as called for negotiated end to the war. Though he had low expectations, Johnson conceded and opened peace talks with North Vietnam in May 1968.

I disagree with thegunner below because he seems to have read books written by the war protesters and people not looking at both sides objectively. Also the war in Vietnam did accomplish the task of stopping the tide of Communism in Asia. China was already Communist and in fact after the TET offensive that was who we primarily fought against was North Vietnams and Chinese. We didn’t lose the war in Vietnam we won almost or all battles but we handed the task over to South Vietnam as we slowly departed and they began loosening and in fact it was almost two years after all our combat forces were out when the South fell to the north.No other country wanted to be dragged into a Vietnam type war after we left. Of course Cambodia and Laos had their internal problems for years after with relation to our being in Vietnam.

Answer 2

the Tet offensive shocked the Americans and the South Vietnamese as the communists from North Vietnam actuallly attacked the South Vietnamese stronghold of Saigon.
during the holiday season. Prior to this there was an almost tacit and a surreal l understanding between the warring factions that If "we don't attack you , you won't attack us " especially on holiday weekends" .There was an entrenched bureaucracy and a jaded media enjoying the perks of power and when they actually saw bloodshed from the very rooftops where cocktails were once shared as they discussed body counts in the boonies far away from their reality there was a profound moment of cognitive dissonance. It didn't matter that the Americans and the
south Vietnamese drove the communists out of the city , or that the communist North Vietnamese suffered a crippling blow - somehow that victory was perceived as a defeat in the eyes of the West.
It marked the beginning of the end of that war. So, tens of thousands of American, Canadian, Korean, and Australian men, kids actually, eventually returned home either dead, brutalized, drug addicted or crippled. I suppose the same for the communists. Sadly, the civilians suffered in more tragic numbers. But the war profiteers made a few bucks, war lord Vietnamese who profitted from both sides in the war escaped to North America or Europe with fortunes intact.
And the cream of America's youth was wasted , while cities across North America, Europe and Australia became inundated with refugees many of whom might have been criminals of one sort or another. The war as most wars accomplished nothing. And that's why your shoes, televisions and computers are made in Communist China and Vietnam and any city of any size hosts 100's of thousands of Vietnamese . Of course there are are good and bad in all races- in Vietnam often enough they were one and the same.A soldier" fighting for democracy" learned not to trust -or risk betrayal from a sweetfaced child to an old grandma .
or his allies ostensibly working with him but often working against him. Much the same as Iraq and Afghanistan in today's war.

Answer 3

I think the Battle of Hue, was a major part in this period known as the Tet Offensive as well.

Answer 4

The Tet Offensive was the turning point in the Vietnam War. It was a two month assault against the communist forces that began during a Vietnamese holiday. The communists were soundly defeated by American and South Vietnamese forces. However, the cost of the victory was so substantial that it signalled the beginning of the end for America in Vietnam despite "winning" the offensive.

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