Why did the Vietnamese Tet Offensive mark a dramatic turning point in the war?

Answer 1

The Tet offensive marked the moment when what had been seen as a manageable overseas conflict turned into something much more messy. The assaults launched by the Viet Cong against the South Vietnamese and their US Military allies in early 1968 were a military fiasco. But the size of the offensive, the dramatic increase in US troop numbers it triggered, and the consequent loss of life on all sides, weighed heavily on US public opinion. The offensive also involved a draining battle for the Khe Sanh airstrip, used as a US Marine base. Khe Sanh became a symbol of the war's futility, abandoned as it was in June 1968, deemed to be of no strategic worth

Answer 2

"For the first time the American people began to see how bad things were going in Vietnam. the government and President in America had been censoring everything that was going on and after the Vietnamese attacked an American Embassy and took it over, question began to whether or not American could win this war."

The tet offensive can be seen as a publicity victory over the United States, which explains why it is seen as a turning point. Militarily the offensive was a disaster for North Vietnam.

Answer 3

General Westmoreland declared that the Tet offensive was a major defeat for the Vietcong. From a military standpoint, he was right. The Vietcong lost about 32,000 soldiers during attacks. The United States and South Vietnam lost only 3,000 soldiers.

The Tet offensive shattered America's confidence in the war when highly regarded CBS Newsman Walter Cronkite stood on the streets of Hue and said that the war was not win-able.

The Tet offensive lasted for nearly a month, including house-to-house street fighting in Hue for three weeks during February of 1968.

Answer 4

The Tet offensive marked the moment when what had been seen as a manageable overseas conflict turned into something much more messy. The assaults launched by the Viet Cong against the South Vietnamese and their US Military allies in early 1968 were a military fiasco. But the size of the offensive, the dramatic increase in US troop numbers it triggered, and the consequent loss of life on all sides, weighed heavily on US public opinion. The offensive also involved a draining battle for the Khe Sanh airstrip, used as a US Marine base. Khe Sanh became a symbol of the war's futility, abandoned as it was in June 1968, deemed to be of no strategic worth

Answer 5

It was both the first open, full scale attack by the Vietcong and NVA, and it demoralized America (despite the fact they'd won an overwhelming military victory) because it showed that they'd been less effective against the Vietcong and NVA than they thought, because America had presumed that her enemies were far too weakened to mount any major offensive.

General Westmoreland declared that the Tet offensive was a major defeat for the Vietcong. From a military standpoint, he was right. The Vietcong lost about 32,000 soldiers during attacks. The United States and South Vietnam lost only 3,000 soldiers. The Tet offensive shattered America's confidence in the war. The Tet offensive lasted for a month.

Answer 6

American began to question their ability to win the war ( nova net)