On January 30th, 1968 South Vietnamese forces prepared to celebrate the Vietnamese New Year, their most important holiday, in peace. However this was the very day that North Vietnamese and Viet Cong forces launched the Tet Offensive. They brutally attacked hundreds of villages of South Vietnam and in just five days had managed to capture five capital cities in South Vietnam. Because they attacked on a holiday the South Vietnamese and American forces were caught completely by surprise, resulting in huge amounts of casualties. On the first day the Viet Cong soldiers attacked the capital of South Vietnam, Saigon. This bloody battle was captured on camera by American news crews. It was here that the infamous footage of the young Viet Cong rebel being executed on the street was shot. By February 24th, 1968, Americans and the South Vietnamese had regained all the conquered land after nearly a month of brutal and dangerous house to house combat. The Tet Offensive turned out to be a disaster for the communists who had started it; they had gained no new ground and had suffered many more casualties than their enemies. Although they lost militaristically they viewed it as a strategic win because of the shifting public opinion in the United States. Due to all the casualties that were suffered, on both sides, this offensive affected many people in the United States and pushed more people to become disenchanted with the war. This was also a major turning point in the war. President Johnson promised to stop bombing North Vietnam and to seek peace with the other side. In addition he claimed he would not run for president again because he believed he was responsible for dividing the nation over the conflict in Vietnam.
Link to a video on the Tet offensive:
http://www.history.com/shows/vietnam-in-hd/videos/tet-offensive
http://www.history.com/shows/vietnam-in-hd/videos/tet-offensive