During the Vietnam War, the bodies of many Vietnamese killed in the Tet Offensive by North Vietnam from January 30, 1968 were laid to rest. A candle was lit and a woman wept as she prayed for the repose of her soul in the morgue.
About 14,000 civilian Vietnamese were killed and 24,000 wounded in the Tet Offensive. About 32,000 North Vietnamese troops and Viet Cong were killed and about 5,800 were taken prisoner. About 2,788 South Vietnamese troops were killed, about 8,299 wounded, and about 587 were missing. The U.S. and other allied forces lost about 1,536 killed, 7,764 wounded, and 11 missing. The U.S. Air Force and the Saigon government air force were heavily bombed in order to retake densely populated areas in various urban areas, and Vietnamese citizens were caught up in the indiscriminate bombing with heavy casualties.
Tet, celebrating the beginning of the new year month on January 30, was the beginning of the sacred Vietnamese holiday. North Vietnam and the Vietcong launched a massive military offensive, proving that the fierce fighting in Southeast Asia was far from over. The administration of President Lyndon B. Johnson over-hyped the American victory to its citizens. The U.S. military eventually decimated the Tet Offensive, and North Vietnam and the Vietcong suffered a brutal defeat. The bloody Tet Offensive set in motion a series of events that continued to undermine Americans' trust in their government.
