The Vietnam War

This Vietnam War history examines the grueling Tet Offensive and America’s struggle against the Viet Cong with more than 180 wartime photographs.

On January, 30th, 1968, the North Vietnamese communists launched a coordinated surprise attack across South Vietnam against the South Vietnamese and American armies. Superior firepower eventually crushed the offensive, but it proved to be a major moral victory for the communists, and a turning point in the Vietnam War.

In this photographic history, Anthony Tucker-Jones tells the story of Tet through both color and black and white images showing all sides of the conflict. The result is a vivid reassessment of this defining moment in the bitter campaign against communism in South-East Asia.

The images show the conditions, the nature of the fighting, and the equipment and the weaponry used—with special focus on the battles for Hue, Khe Sanh, and Saigon. They show the impact of combat on civilian populations as their communities became battlegrounds. And they illustrate why the assault caused many at home across the US to lose faith in America’s commitment to the South.