 The keys to the failure of Tet are not difficult to discern . Hanoi had underestimated the strategic mobility of the allied forces , which allowed them to redeploy at will to threatened areas ; their battle plan was too complex and difficult to coordinate , which was amply demonstrated by the 30 January attacks ; their violation of the principle of mass , attacking everywhere instead of concentrating their forces on a few specific targets , allowed their forces to be defeated piecemeal ; the launching of massed attacks headlong into the teeth of vastly superior firepower ; and last , but not least , the incorrect assumptions upon which the entire campaign was based . According to General Tran Van Tra : " We did not correctly evaluate the specific balance of forces between ourselves and the enemy , did not fully realize that the enemy still had considerable capabilities , and that our capabilities were limited , and set requirements that were beyond our actual strength . 
