The Tet Offensive

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The Tet Offensive

The Vietnam War was a conflict between South Vietnam and the Vietcong and North

Vietnam. The war began in 1954 and ended in 1975. The Vietnam War was "primarily

fought in South Vietnam between government forces aided by the United States and

guerrilla forces aided by North Vietnam" (bleep). The Vietnam War began soon

after the Geneva Conference divided Vietnam into the Democratic Republic of

Vietnam, or North Vietnam, and the Republic of Vietnam, also known as South

Vietnam. The Vietnam War began as a Vietnamese civil war and developed into an

international conflict in which the United States was profoundly involved. The

war ended following a successful offensive by North Vietnam, resulting in the

collapse of South Vietnam and the unification of Vietnam by the North. "On

January 31st, 1968 . . . the Vietnamese Communists launched a major offensive

throughout south Vietnam" (bloop). These series were known as the Tet Offensive.

Tet is the celebration of the lunar new year. It begins on January 31st and is

Vietnam's most important holiday. In years previous to 1968 a truce would be

declared for the days that encompassed Tet, to allow people on both sides to

celebrate this holiday. In 1968, as in the preceding years, a truce was

declared, but then the Communists launched a major offensive, attacking most

major cities in South Vietnam, including Saigon. The conjoined forces of the

United States and and non-communists in South Vietnam eventually defeated the

Communists, but the fatalities were numerous. The Tet Offensive was a major

turning point in the Vietnam War. (I think I need a different thesis statement)

Although the Tet Offensive was a military defeat for the Communists, it was a

victory for them in other days. "It daramatically contradicted optimistic claims

by the...