The Tet Offensive
and the Viet Cong
Learning Intentions:
1. Demonstrate an understanding of
basic facts about Tet.
2. Analyse TET as an indicator of Viet
Cong strengths.
3. Evaluate Tet: American or
Communist Victory?
Answer these questions in the
back of your book.
1. What was the significance of ‘Tet’ in the
Vietnamese calendar?
2. Which year did the Tet offensive occur?
3. Which MAJOR Vietnamese city was targeted?
4. Which significant building was occupied by
Vietnamese nationalists?
5. Name the Vietnamese group that carried out
the attacks.
6. Name the military leader of this group.
7. Name the American General who reassured
the public that the US was in control.
The answers…
1. It was the Vietnamese New Year and a public
holiday (January 31)
2. 1968
3. Saigon (and over 100 other cities and towns)
4. The United States Embassy
5. Viet Cong (also known as the National
Liberation Front)
6. General Vo Nguyen Giap (Giap will do)
7. Westmoreland,
Match these numbers
1) Number of
communist soldiers
involved in Tet
2) Number of
communist casualties.
3) Number of American
casualties
4) Number of Viet Cong
who attacked Saigon
5) Number of South
Vietnamese Army
casualties.
A) 2000
B) 11,000
C) 50,000
D) 4000
E) 70,000
Match these numbers
1) Number of communist
soldiers involved in Tet
E) 70,000
2) Number of communist
casualties.
C) 50,000
3) Number of American
casualties
A) 2000
4) Number of Viet Cong
who attacked Saigon
D) 4000
5) Number of South
Vietnamese Army
casualties.
B) 11,000
Back of your books
1. What was the proper name for the Viet
Cong?
2. How did the first 10,000 VC get to South
Vietnam?
3. Ultimate Viet Cong goal?
Answers
•
•
•
National Liberation Front
Viet Minh soldiers who remained in
the south after the division of Vietnam
in 1954.
Reunification of Vietnam (Unite
Vietnam is okay….). ‘Expel foreigners’
is not enough – they wanted ONE
Vietnam….
“The Viet Cong were a significant nationalist
group” - how does the Tet Offensive
demonstrate this?. Do this in groups of 5!
Use evidence from the text
(brief quotes, statistics)
Effective methods of warfare
Ties to North Vietnam
During Tet the VC
demonstrated…
Giap’s
Leadership
and attitude to war
Popular
Support
Planning
and organisation
Effective methods of warfare
• Took guerrilla warfare methods to the streets
of Saigon (the 4000 fighters operated in small
teams and emphasised mobility and
surprise).
• Used civilian cars and clothes to disguise
their appearance – made conventional
(soldier on soldier) warfare difficult.
• Used manholes in Saigon (like jungle
tunnels!)
Popular support
• Scale of attack demonstrates popularity
(70,000 soldiers attacking more than 100
cities and towns)
• Saigon residents had stockpiled weapons
for the Viet Cong (similar to the role played
by villagers in rural areas)
Planning and organisation
• The Tet Offensive attacks were launched
in a 24 hour period and simultaneously
targeted over 100 locations throughout
South Vietnam.
• Weapons had been stockpiled in Saigon
for years.
Giap’s leadership and attitude
• Giap believed in the use of mobility and the
avoidance of enemy units that could hit back.
This was demonstrated in the mobility of the
small squads of men in Saigon.
• Giap believed that the United States was
overextended and that popular support for
President Johnson’s war would fade if the United
States continued to experience military
setbacks. This thinking led to Tet….
• Giap was prepared to wage a war for decades
and sacrifice “thousands or even tens of
thousands” of lives to achieve victory. The high
Viet Cong casualties during Tet were evidence of
this.
Ties to North Vietnam
• General Giap was the Defence Minister
and Commander of the Armed Forces for
North Vietnam AND the chief military
strategist for the Viet Cong.
• The North Vietnamese Army (NVA) had
attacked the marine base at Khe Sanh 11
days before Tet. This shows shared
leadership, coordination and planning.
In pairs BRIEFLY complete these
sentences…
Giap could claim
victory because…
Westmoreland could
claim victory
because…
The most convincing victory belongs to…
Because…..
Tet and Consequences
Impact of Tet
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KiW5FXs1n6M
News Broadcast in February…
•
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdOb_183d1o&feature=fvw
President Johnson says “I will not run!”
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-FibDxpkb0
Tet: The Consequences
• January 31 Tet Offensive
• February 1  Photograph of South Vietnamese Police
Chief Loan executing a Viet Cong suspect in Saigon
further inflames the anti-war protest movement.
• Early March  U.S. troops have cleared the last towns
of Viet Cong forces. 50,000 communists have been
killed.
• March  General Westmoreland asks for 200,000 more
troops. New Defence Secretary Clark Clifford warns him
that the U.S. may have to withdraw all troops.
• March 31  After narrowly winning the first Presidential
Primary Johnson announces that he will not seek reelection.
May – November
Peace Talks - Nixon
• May 10. Peace talks open in Paris. Johnson had reduced
the bombing attacks on North Vietnam and challenged
Hanoi to enter peace talks.
• Averill Harrison (U.S. Representative) and Xuan Thuy
(North Vietnam) reach a deadlock that lasts five years! Thuy
insisted that the Viet Cong be included in the Saigon
government (significant group!) but the U.S. refuse to deal
with the Viet Cong.
• Five days before the election Johnson calls for an end to
Operation Rolling Thunder.
• Richard Nixon defeats Hubert Humphrey and wins the 1968
election. He has promised to end the war but has not stated
how….
• Christmas 1968: Viet Cong . American bombing has
stopped, Johnson has gone, anti-war protests are dividing
America and 30,000 Americans have been killed in
Vietnam.
Your homework
Due: Next Tuesday
A detailed essay plan…
1. Topic sentence (the main point)
2. At least 6 Bullet Points that explain
the key idea and provide evidence to
support it.
And remember…