The Tet Offensive, 1968 (AQA GCSE History): Revision Note

Summary

The Tet Offensive was a key turning point in the Vietnam War. It saw the Vietcong abandon its successful guerrilla tactics to attack key locations all across South Vietnam. It was intended to lead to a popular uprising that would sweep the South Vietnamese government from power.

The Tet Offensive failed. The Vietcong lost thousands of its best troops — estimated to be 20% of its fighting force — and there was no uprising.

The Tet Offensive had an enormous impact on American public opinion. It convinced many people that the US government were liars and that the US would not win the war. Just weeks after, President Johnson announced he would leave the White House at the next election.

The events of the Tet Offensive

• The Vietcong, with the support of the North Vietnamese Army (NVA), launched a major attack on the US Marines base at Khe Sanh

  • This caused the US commanders to rush reinforcements to Khe Sanh and leave other areas underprotected

• During the Tet public holiday that celebrates the Lunar New Year, both sides usually observed an unofficial ceasefire

  • In January 1968, the Vietcong and the NVA launched over 100 simultaneous attacks in places all across South Vietnam during the Tet holiday

  • It caught the Americans and the ARVN completely by surprise

The impacts of the Tet Offensive

A Vietcong disaster

• The Tet Offensive was a military disaster for the Vietcong and NVA

  • They abandoned their guerrilla tactics and attacked the Americans head on

  • Around 37,000 Vietcong or NVA troops were killed, captured or wounded

  • Around 2,500 US troops were killed

• Although the Americans had been taken by surprise, they quickly regrouped and were able to recapture land that had been lost

  • The Tet Offensive also failed to lead to a wider uprising amongst the South Vietnamese people to overthrow their government

A Vietcong victory

• The Tet Offensive was a military disaster for the Vietcong, but it did not look like one to the millions of Americans watching the news on their TVs

  • To many Americans, it looked like the Vietcong were a powerful enemy who could strike anywhere they liked — including capturing the American Embassy in Saigon

  • This shocked many Americans who had been told that the Vietcong were on the brink of collapse

  • Millions of Americans concluded that they had been lied to by their government

• After the Tet Offensive, fewer Americans than ever supported the war, which was widely viewed as expensive and unwinnable

  • The public backlash led to President Lyndon B. Johnson announcing in March 1968 that he would not be standing for reelection