Tet Offensive, 1968

Beginning during the Tet holiday at the end of January 1968, North Vietnamese and Viet Cong forces attacked cities, bases and provincial centres across South Vietnam. Many assaults were defeated militarily, but their scale challenged claims that the communist forces were close to collapse.

The offensive included prolonged urban battles at Huế and around Saigon as well as attacks on smaller towns and military installations. It became a major political turning point because battlefield outcomes and public perceptions of the war diverged sharply.

Fiction set within the Tet Offensive can address surprise, urban combat, civilian displacement, divided command and the different experiences of American, South Vietnamese and communist forces.