Tet Offensive Surprises Americans - HISTORY

Take a closer look at the Tet Offensive during the Vietnam War.

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A war report describes an attack by the Viet Cong on the Presidential Palace. On January 30, 1968, the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese forces launched a massive surprise attack on key cities in South Vietnam. It was a major turning point in the war.

In this clip from Ask Steve, the tet offensive is understood to be the turning point in the Vietnam War. After the shock of the North Vietnamese's attack on the South the tet offensive became a political disaster. Even though it was a great victory, the American people were under the impression that everything was going well in Vietnam, and the polls showed that they no longer supported the war.

A calculated series of attacks take American and South Vietnamese forces by surprise, but the Viet Cong's offensive quickly spirals out of control.

Tet Offensive Reshapes the Vietnam War

From his station in Saigon, Vietnam, on October 25, 1973, Col. Gerald M. Steinberg reflects on the difficulties encountered as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers prepared to transfer jurisdiction to ARVN, Army of the Republic of Vietnam, following the Vietnam War ceasefire signed on January 27.