Page 108 - The Viet-Cong Tet_Offensive_1968

Front and a staternent rerninding the people of the rnartial law order
and an edict re-establishing press censorship and prornising to take
all necessary rrleasures to corne to the help of war victirns.

On 3 February 1,968, President Thieu signed Decree 644/
SL creating relief cornrnittee s in Saigon as rvell as in the provinces
and 2pp6itrlit-rg Vice President Nguyen Cao Ky Chairrnan of the Central
Relief Organization. The following day General Vien again issued an-
other order of the day citing, before the Arrned Forces, all corps
areas, divisions, and such branches as Airborne, the Ranger, the
lr,iarine, the Special Forces, the Capital Security Group, Regirnents
42 and 51, the Navy, the Air Force, the Arrnored branch, and reward-
ing rnany a good fighter.
Following this, General Vien also ordered the launching of
Cperation Tran Hung Dao to dislodge the enerny frorn Saigon, At that
tirne the situation in Saigon had rnuch irnproved but the enerny was
still relatively strong, Estirnate :
A11 over the operational areas only scattered action was
recorded except in Zone ttDtt, where besides instances of fighting near
the Kieu Cong Muoi Folice Station,the Viet Cong still rnade their pre-
sence felt rather acutely in the northwest part of the Sixth Precinct
and the goutheastern part of the Eighth Precinct.

During the night of 4 February enerny elernents took over
the Binh Tay Alcohol Distillery installation. The 4lst Ranger Battalion
was irnrnediately dispatched to reoccupy the installaiion. The Viet
Cong also harassed the Nguyen Van To Fclice Station and attacked the
Tran Van ChauPolice Station in the Eighth Precinct. Another group of
enerny soldiers also penetrated the staging area on Ly Thai To street.
In the f ighting at Kieu Cong Muoi Police S tation,govern-
rnent troops killed six Viet Cong and captured five individual weapons.
Police also fought the insurgents on Phan Dinh Phung street, killing
a nurnber of thern, capturing two and confiscating one B.40 rocket
launcher. In the Hanh Thong Tay area too,contact rras established
with the enemy. In the security belt around the capital city U, S.
troops also reported clashing with the insurgents on rnore than one
occ asion.
Of the general situation in Saigon it can be said that by the
5th of February, enerrry rnain force units had withdrawn to the out-
skirts but solrre enerny sapper elernents still. did their best to hide

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