At the time of the Tet Offensive there were more than 485,000 military personnel stationed throughout South Vietnam. (Compton's).
On January 29, 1968 the Tet Offensive started with the order to attack broadcasted by Radio Hanoi in the form of a poetic exhortation written by Ho Chi Minh. (Dougan 123) On January 29th and 30th more than 70,000 Vietcong and North Vietnam Army soldiers launched attacks against 36 provincial capitals, 5 of 6 major cities, and 50 hamlets across South Vietnam. (Krepinevich 89) Thirty-five battalions attacked the capital of Saigon, spearheaded by the elite C-10 Sapper battalion, in hopes of capturing the city. The U.S. and South Vietnamese forces responded quickly using superior mobility and firepower to overwhelm the enemy. (Pike) Outside of Saigon NVA and VC forces tried to stop U.S. forces by attacking the bases at Bien Hoa, Lai Khe, and Cu Chi, but were relatively unsuccessful. (Spector 54) .
In most places the offensive lasted only a few days to a week before NVA and VC forces were stopped or turned back by the American and South Vietnamese forces. In a few places, like the city of Hue, the North Vietnamese forces held the city for three weeks before being overcome. (Dougan 130) Communist casualties during the Tet Offensive were as high as 40,000, mainly NVA. (Krepinevich 95) Even though Tet was considered a major victory for the Americans and South Vietnamese, it greatly affected the rest of the war. .
John F. Kennedy was the Democratic President at the time of our first military involvement in Vietnam. After his assassination in 1963, Lyndon Johnson took over for the remainder of Kennedy's term and was elected for four more years in 1964. President Kennedy believed that the way to win the war in Vietnam was by using advisors to train and equip the South Vietnamese troops. Johnson also believed early in his presidency that we should not get too involved in the war.
