Tet 1969

Tet 1969 refers to the attacks mounted by principally North Vietnamese forces in February 1969 in South Vietnam during the Vietnam War, one year after the original Tet Offensive.

Most attacks centered on military targets near Saigon and Da Nang and were quickly beaten off, although the U.S. suffered heavy casualties. Some speculate that the attacks were mounted to test the will of the new U.S. President Richard Nixon who retaliated by secretly bombing Communist sanctuaries in Cambodia the following month.

Numerous U.S. bases were breached, ranging in size from the huge Long Binh Army Depot near Bien Hoa to Landing Zone Oasis. These attacks were all beaten back but did inflict casualties and reinforced the fact that Communist forces were able to mount attacks at will.

Sources

• Cold War International History Project's Cold War Files