The
Tet Offensive (, or
Tổng tiến công và nổi dậy Tết Mậu Thân) was one of the largest military campaigns of the
Vietnam War, launched on January 30, 1968 by forces of the
Viet Cong and North Vietnamese
People's Army of Vietnam against the forces of
South Vietnam, the United States, and their allies. It was a campaign of surprise attacks against military and civilian commands and control centers throughout South Vietnam. The name of the offensive comes from the
Tết holiday, the Vietnamese New Year, when the first major attacks took place.