Tet Offensive Research Paper

Sun Tzu’s The Art of War has again and again proves itself to be accurate in many battles and wars throughout history. The Tet offensive was a sneak attack launched by The North Vietnam Army. It is often referred to as the turning point of the war. To try to help the South Vietnamese people, the United States sent troops to help. All was going good for the United States until Tet. Tet is a celebration in Vietnam that marks the Lunar New Year. It is the “most important Vietnamese holiday” (Tet Offensive). The United States had a truce with the Vietnam forces during Tet. During this ceasefire, the North Vietnam Army Launched a sneak attack on Military bases all across Vietnam that caught many off-guard. The Tet Offensive was a tactical

The United States decided to intervene in this because North Vietnam was communist. The United States wanted to keep the south a non-communist nation. The United States used guns made in the United States, as did their South Vietnam allies. They used the M16 rifle. The North Vietnam Forces and the Vietcong used guns made in either the Soviet Union or China. However, the United States were able to take complete control of the skies with their B-52 Bombers, F-4 Phantoms, and The Huey (Weapons of The Vietnam War). The Vietnamese did have an advantage because they were familiar with the terrain around them (because the war was in

During the beginning of this battle the North Vietnam and Vietcong had the advantage because many allied forces were caught off guard by this sneak attack. General Vo Nguyen Giap planned this attack. Despite heavy losses from the North Vietnamese army, they achieved a victory. They even attacked and overrun the United States embassy in Saigon. Giap had hopped to drive a wedge between the South Vietnam forces and the North Vietnam forces (Tet Offensive). Trying to drive a wedge between South Vietnam and the United States (Tet Offensive) was a brilliant move that follows one of Sun Tzu’s principles. “If an enemy has alliances, the problem is grave and the enemy’s position is strong; if he has no alliances, the problem is minor and the enemy’s position is weak” (Sun Tzu). Giap realized that the United States were very strong when combined with the South Vietnam forces. In order to try to stop this alliance, Giap tried to split them up, which he was successful to some extent. This surprise attack follows one of Sun Tzu’s principles perfectly. “In conflict, straightforward actions generally lead to engagement, Surprising actions generally lead to victory” (Sun Tzu). The North Vietnam forces followed this principle perfectly. They waited until a ceasefire when the United States and South Vietnamese forces had the guard down. During the Tet ceasefire, the United States along with the South