Hanoi had launched the offensive in the belief that the offensive would trigger a popular uprising leading to the collapse of the South Vietnamese government . Although the initial attacks stunned both the U.S. and South Vietnamese armies , causing them to lose control of several cities temporarily , they quickly regrouped , beat back the attacks , and inflicted heavy casualties on North Vietnamese and Vietcong forces . The popular uprising anticipated by Hanoi never happened . During the Battle of Huế , intense fighting lasted for a month , resulting in the destruction of the city . During their occupation , the North Vietnamese executed thousands of people in the Massacre at Huế . Around the U.S. combat base at Khe Sanh , fighting continued for two more months . The offensive was a military defeat for North Vietnam though General Westmoreland reported that defeating the North Vietnamese and Viet Cong would require 200,000 more American soldiers and activation of the reserves , prompting even loyal supporters of the war to see that the current war strategy required re-evaluation . The offensive had a strong effect on the U.S. government and shocked the U.S. public , which had been led to believe by its political and military leaders that the North Vietnamese were being defeated and incapable of launching such an ambitious military operation ; American public support for the war soon declined and the U.S. sought negotiations to end the war
Massacre at Huế
Massacre at Huế
Tet Offensive