and ARVN forces managed to successfully counter most of the attacks and inflict heavy Viet Cong losses. Though Giap had succeeded in achieving surprise, his forces were spread too thin in the ambitious offensive, and U.S. In previous years, the holiday had been the occasion for an informal truce in the Vietnam War between South Vietnam and North Vietnam (and their communist allies in South Vietnam, the Viet Cong). What Was the Tet Offensive?Īs the celebration of the lunar new year, the Tet holiday is the most important holiday on the Vietnamese calendar. Despite heavy casualties, North Vietnam achieved a strategic victory with the Tet Offensive, as the attacks marked a turning point in the Vietnam War and the beginning of the slow, painful American withdrawal from the region. and South Vietnamese forces managed to hold off the attacks, news coverage of the massive offensive shocked the American public and eroded support for the war effort. The offensive was an attempt to foment rebellion among the South Vietnamese population and encourage the United States to scale back its involvement in the Vietnam War.

The Tet Offensive was a coordinated series of North Vietnamese attacks on more than 100 cities and outposts in South Vietnam.

Man of war vietnam happy tet day