The Tet Offensive vocab terms

Vietnam war

A conflict, starting in 1954 and ending in 1975, between South Vietnam (later aided by the U.S., South Korea, Australia, the Philippines, Thailand, and New Zealand) and the Vietcong and North Vietnam.

Viet cong

A member of the communist guerrilla movement in Vietnam that fought the South Vietnamese government forces 1954-75 with the support of the North Vietnamese army and opposed the South Vietnamese and US forces in the Vietnam War.

Vietnamization

A policy of the Richard Nixon administration during the Vietnam War to end U.S. involvement in the war and "expand, equip, and train South Vietnam's forces and at the same time steadily reducing the number of U.S. combat troops".

Saigon

Also known as Ho Chi Minh City, Saigon is a city in southern Vietnam famous for the pivotal role it played in the Vietnam War.

Offensive

An offensive is a military operation that seeks through aggressive projection of armed force to occupy territory, gain an objective or achieve some larger strategic, operational or tactical goal. Another term for an offensive often used by the media is 'invasion', or the more general 'attack'.

Battle at Huê

One of the bloodiest and longest battles of the Vietnam War.

Tet Offensive

Tet offensive definition. A series of major attacks by communist forces in the Vietnam War. Early in 1968, Vietnamese communist troops seized and briefly held some major cities at the time of the lunar new year, or Tet.

Battle at khe Sahn

The Battle of Khe Sanh was conducted in northwestern Quang Tri Province, Republic of Vietnam, between 21 January and 9 July 1968 during the Vietnam War.

Tet

The Vietnamese New Year observed during the first several days of the lunar calendar beginning at the second new moon after the winter solstice.

Vietnam

Vietnam is a Southeast Asian country on the South China Sea known for its beaches, rivers, Buddhist pagodas and bustling cities. Hanoi, the capital, pays homage to the nation's iconic Communist-era leader, Ho Chi Minh.