From: knguyen@emr1.emr.ca (Kim Nguyen)
Subject: About Tet Offensive 1968 and one sad memory
Organization: Energy, Mines, and Resources, Ottawa
Date: Wed, 30 Dec 1992 19:51:30 GMT

-OPTIMISM OF TAKING POWER :

That massive and surprising offensive during the Tet (lunar new year) 
Vietnamese festival was a big turning point for the SVN populace's feeling 
towards Viet Cong. Before, some South Vietnamese still believed VC may have 
some good point to sympathize for; but later they found out that VC and NVA 
were 
starved of power more than concerned about the lives of the populace who 
got caught in that attack.

What ever the reason, no one could break the tradition of the Tet. All people
in Vietnam, China and East Asia should stop fighting, quarreling; they often
gather in their older's house to pay tribute to their ancestors and at the
same time, to reconcile with each other.

Truly, Viet Cong, NVN or communist world never like old traditions; they would 
start a new society with new traditions which are tainted by communist images. 
That is a revolutionary tradition which favors personality cult.

What the meaning of a day in the year is not important as long as the day
fits with their aim : the goods justify the deeds. So they did it.

People have experienced killings by Viet Cong and heard propagandas from
broadcasting stations in Saigon, but anyhow, they still held some skepticism.
This attack became an undeniable testimony for the disillusion of the 
populace. Myself, living in My-Tho, I was in total shock when thinking that
VC is Vietnamese too and why they broke the tradition of The Tet.

Didn't Viet Cong acknowledge that ultimate wrondoing ? I don't know, but they 
must be so optimistic that if the attack could have been held for a few days, 
the populace could turn back to support them when being fed up with the 
mismanagement of leadership of South Vietnam. Some communist units did stay in 
many cities, but what they saw was just ordinary people who stared at them 
with  scared eyes. As before, there must be only two kinds of people, 
followers 
and enemy. So they did kill them all without mercy, especially religious 
people. This happened in the inner city of Hue where they set up a court of
justice and sentenced 3000 people to death; these were teachers, newsmen,
monks, priests and ordinary people; one month later, people found massive
graves, each with at least 100-200 skulls. People in Hue and surroundings
started to believe in propaganda from Saigon.

There were at least 50 cities were attacked. One of them is My-Tho, my 
beloved hometown, 80 km southwest of Saigon; My-tho is the best city of 
the world ! They did capture 1/3 of the city and later were pushed out by 
ARVN ans US soldiers.

With bold curiosity, I went to the market Thanh-Tri to the east of town. 
Corpses of people lied here and there; there was one dead body of a pregnant 
woman lying on a cyclo; dead people I saw around were almost women and kids 
who 
could not run fast with a sudden attack at night of VC. Dropping by my former 
school on Hung-vuong street where a group of VC intruded and hung on for a day 
or 
two; my school was totally in disaster; my former teacher who once taught
me math was killed. At last, I did not like to continue my finding 
anymore. After that incident, I started to have a new feeling to love what 
I had at that present; I went to many places around My-Tho; I liked
to hear sermons from a pagoda, a church; I often go to O^ng -Da.o Du*`a 's 
Cu`-lao Phu.ng, not to hear his teaching but to sit in a small kiosk to 
watch for hours a beautiful Co^ Die^.u whom I never forgot.

I did not know why I did change but may be I felt to prefer the regime I live 
in to another regime where VC is the boss.

MAKING ECHO TO THE OTHER SIDE OF THE CONTINENT

Whether or not the offensive could be successful, this still had a strategic 
effect on the other front of the war, the psychological one.

It did convince some Americans that, contrary to their government's 
claims, the insurgency in South Vietnam could not be crushed, the war 
would continue for years to come.

This offensive was intended to harmonize with the anti-war movement which 
started from 1967 in US. It did enhance and support manipulation of peace 
activists; this manipulation is to augment the sentiment against US 
participation in war. Yes, it did. People started to see anti-war feeling 
mounted and mounted. And....psychological warfare did prevail. 

So I still feel that the anti-war movement in US did keep a big role and 
was one of the main culprits for defeating US right at her backyard.

APPEARENCE OF DOUBLE-FACED MEN 

During few days of the offensive, hiding communists agents and hiding 
sympathizers did appear hastily with enthusiasm; the purpose was to make
an in-out attack.

Who were they ? They were communists under monk or priest's clothes, innocent 
students, laborious public servants, teachers, writers or reporters.....

In normal life, these monks or priests often teach followers to worship 
Buddha or God, now they are atheist. Those students who did reject unjustice,
unfairness now agree with a totalitarian regime. These teachers, writers 
and reporters, who would like to bring more knowledge to others so that we
can decide which is wrong or right, now just would like to teach or 
inform only about communism. They were all party members, party loyalists 
or sympathizers.

So with techniques of manipulation and propaganda to stimulate skillfully 
people's conscience, they can catch all kinds of people into the net. After
sieving them, they just keep almost poor and uneducated ones and create true
communists. The rest would be used but never be trusted; the latter can be
eliminated at any time.


SAD FEELING 

I spend all my high school year in Mytho. I adore one of my literature 
teachers who is also a writer. This teacher is so great that he can learn by 
heart verse by verse in many works-of-art and decipher logically them; one 
of them is THE TALE OF KIEUS by NGUYEN DU. In his hour of teaching, I could 
fly 
from the present to the past easily.

After Tet Offensive, I saw his name on lists of caught communist agents 
on a newspaper. I could not understand why he had joined the group who did kill
lots of people in this offensive.

I dind't know exactly what category my teacher is in, but, interestingly, 
after 
1975, when still living in Saigon, I heard that he emerged in a literature 
society called *Ho^.i tri' thu*'c ye^u nu*o*'c (?); his name is VU~ HA.NH, the 
author of a small book I like the most *Ngo^i tru*o*`ng -di xuo^'ng*. Right 
now, I still remember his image in my mind; he is still stand on a stand, 
talking and interpreting skilfully poems of Nguye^~n Tra?i, Cao-ba'-Qua't,...