Page 123 - The Viet-Cong Tet_Offensive_1968

\r'ere credited to air strikes. The ground troops suffered no casualties.

At this point it becarne evident to every one that the
Viet Cong attack on Saigon had failed. All intruders had been swePt
outside the rnetropolis. In the following days norrnalcy was speedily
restored and the operational cornrnand of Operation Tran Hung Dao,
which was under General Cao Van Vien, was disbanded on 17 Februa-
ry. This was rnarked by a sirnple but rnoving cerernony at the Joint
General Staff He adquarte r 6 in the course of which General Vien hirn-
selves presented well deserving soldiers with the nationrs rnoat
coveted de c or ation s.
Operation Tran Hung Dao,however, was not terrninated.
It becarne the responsibility of Lieutenant General Le Nguyen Khang'
who wag serving as III Corps cornrnander. The division of Sai.gon into
Zones rrArr, ttgtt, C , rrDrr, and nEtr was retained. Their cornrnander s
were also retained except for Lieutenant Colonel Dao Ba Phuoc,
c ornrnander of Zone trDrr, who took over frorn Colonel Tran Van Hai,
Zone rtFrrwhich had been an Arnerican responsibility was added to
Zone ttDtt.

MAJOR ATTACKS IN AND AROUND SAICON

U.S. Embassy

During the night of January 30-3I at a little past three
AM, a Citroen sedan carrying lt Viet Cong sappers sped in the direc-
ti.on of the U, S. Ernbassy in downtown Saigon. Driven by Nguyen Van
Muoi,it stopped near the Arneric an Chancery on Mac Dinh Chi Street.
There the sappers rushed frorn the srnall car, shooting
to death the two U. S. rnilitary policernen standing guard at a 6ide gate.
Meanwhile, another Viet Cong using a 3,5 recoilless ri{Ie blasted a
hole in the wall, perrnitting the group leader to enter the ground of the
Ernbasey Building and break the lock of the gate.

In the rnatter of rninute s all the group penetrated the
Ernbassy grounds.Clad in blacL: lnd blue with a red arrn band to recog-
nize one another in the dark easily,they irflmediately organize thern-
gelves and began attacking the Ilrnbassy cornpound.

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