The PAVN/NLF attacks were speedily and bloodily repulsed in virtually all areas except Saigon , where the fighting lasted for three days , and in the old imperial capital of Huế , where it continued for a month . During the occupation of the historic city , 2,800 South Vietnamese were murdered by the NLF in the single worst massacre of the conflict . The hoped-for uprising never took place ; indeed , the offensive drove some previously apathetic South Vietnamese to fight for the government . Another surprise for the communists was that the ARVN did not collapse under the onslaught , instead turning in a performance that pleased even its American patrons
murdered by the NLF
Massacre at Huế
Role of the United States in the Vietnam War