Tet Offensive 1968

In a desperate gamble, the Viet Cong and the North Vietnamese opened up an attack throughout Vietnam, from Saigon to Hue. The attack was an all-out offensive, and resulted in a clear American victory. The Viet Cong were decimated. Nevertheless, in the United States, the attacks were perceived as Viet Cong successes, helping to turn many Americans against the war.

By late 1967, the war was going strong against the Viet Cong and the North Vietnamese. They decided to launch an offensive throughout the country which began with an attack on the US embassy in Saigon. The Communists captured the city of Hue, and fighting was fierce. In the end, the Communists were defeated on every front.

In the United States, however, the general perception was that the war had been lost. The American people had been told that progress had been made throughout the war, and many Americans wondered how the Communist forces could accomplish what they had, militarily, and have lost. The result of the offensive seemed to be a collective loss of will, among Americans to continue fighting the Vietnam War.

Protests against the war increased, and President Johnson announced that he would not run again.