Great Battles
In 1968, as popular support for the US invasion of Vietnam faded, communist forces captured the city of Hue in just two hours. They only held it for a few weeks but it was a turning point in the war, and American history
In 1967, the American invasion of Vietnam had reached a painful juncture for both sides. While Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara resigned, insisting the war could not be won, General William Westmoreland called for escalation, insisting that if the US sent an additional 200,000 troops then victory would soon be at hand.
However, according to Andrew Wiest’s The Vietnam War 1956-1975: “In the United States the slow progress of the war in Vietnam and numerous revelations about government dishonesty with regard to the conflict combined seriously to erode public support for the war.”
Meanwhile, the communist leaders Ho Chi Minh and General Vo Nguyen Giap were also concerned about morale and devised a dramatic shift in strategy. Keen to break the deadlock and deal the US and its southern allies a critical blow, they shifted away from a limited but protracted campaign of attrition to a grand decisive campaign. Hoping to improve their military position, inspire revolt in South Vietnam and erode the already dwindling American approval for the war, General Pham Hung devised the Tet Offensive: a series of surprise attacks to be launched during the Tet Lunar New Year cease fire.
In late 1967, Wiest describes how the Viet Cong “lured US forces into the Vietnamese hinterlands through a series of attacks and buildups”, before launching the offensive on 31 January 1968, simultaneously attacking all the major cities of South Vietnam.
Among those targeted was the historic Imperial City of Hue, which writer James Arnold describes as “the most venerated place in Vietnam”. He adds: “The war had not touched Hue, yet it was more than a symbolic target. A rail and highway bridge crossed the Perfume River and continued north. They served as the main land supply routes for the growing number of Allied troops along the DMZ. Hue also served as a major unloading point for waterborne supplies that were brought from Da Nang on the coast.”
