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Tet Offensive: Quick Facts

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Facts

Date January 31, 1968
Location Vietnam
Participants United States • Viet Cong
Context Vietnam War • Lunar New Year

Photos and Videos

Map of the Vietnam War theatre from around 1965 to 1970, showing Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, and parts of Thailand and China. It highlights Communist supply routes such as the Ho Chi Minh Trail, major North Vietnamese and U.S. military bases, U.S. corps headquarters, and U.S. aircraft carrier groups, with arrows indicating supply and bombing routes. Major cities and geographic features like the Gulf of Tonkin, Mekong Delta, and Central Highlands are labeled.
execution of a suspected Viet Cong officer in the Vietnam War
William Westmoreland; Lyndon B. Johnson
Anti-Vietnam War protesters march in New York City holding signs that read "The war is not over!" and "Immediate unconditional halt to all U.S. bombing."
See how the North Vietnamese-backed Viet Cong launched surprise attacks across South Vietnam
Discover the effect of the Viet Cong's Tet Offensive on American morale despite the attack's failure
See All Videos and Images →

Related Topics and References

Topics
Dig Deeper: More Articles That Discuss This Topic

Timeline

North Vietnamese torpedo boat seen from the Maddox during the Gulf of Tonkin incident
Gulf of Tonkin incident
August 2, 1964 - August 4, 1964
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
August 5, 1964
Battle of Ia Drang
Battle of Ia Drang
November 14, 1965 - November 18, 1965
See how the North Vietnamese-backed Viet Cong launched surprise attacks across South Vietnam
Tet Offensive
January 31, 1968
A group of frightened Vietnamese women and children stand close together outdoors during the My Lai Massacre in the Vietnam War.
My Lai Massacre
March 16, 1968
Fall of Saigon during the Vietnam War
Fall of Saigon
March 4, 1975 - April 30, 1975

Key People

William Westmoreland; Lyndon B. Johnson
William Westmoreland
American military officer
Abrams, Creighton Williams, Jr.
Creighton Williams Abrams, Jr.
American army officer
default image
Nguyen Van Thieu
president of South Vietnam
Rusk, Dean
Dean Rusk
United States secretary of state

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U.S. trooops of the 7th. and 9th. divisions wade through marshland during a joint operation on South Vietnam's Mekong Delta, April 1967.
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