Page 158 - The Viet-Cong Tet_Offensive_1968

on Nguyen Hue Roulevard, and the Saigon Police Hea,iriuarters. One
I ZZrnrn rocket also hit Hot"l Catinat on Nguyen Hue Boulevard in down-
town Saigon.
7 Mav 1968. Enerny troops again appeared in the Eighth Precinct rnore
precisely on Pharn The Hien Quay.. The situation in the Binh Thoi area
grew rrlore serious as ground troops found thernselves with the irn-
possible task of penetrating these VC held parts of the city. In the
afternoon jets were cal1ed in to strike both areas especially Binh
Thoi, where rnany fires were irnrnediately reported sending high into
the sky rnany colurnns of black srnoke.

A1l through the night flares were seen illurninating the
sky while houses were stil1 burning by the hundreds. In spite of the
cur{ew order the population frorn outlying areas {locked downtown.
Nothirg could be done to prevent the rnovernent. These refugees chose
public buildings, schools and parks for refuge.
With the exception of Thi Nghe where a Marine operation
resulted in restoration of cornplete order by 1300 hours and the Bay
Hien i.ntersection where norrnalcy was also restored, the situation
throughout the outlying sections of the big rnetropolis rernained
unchanged.

8 Mav 1968. The situation in Cholon grew more serious with enerny
troops reaching the Binh Tien Bridge, Hau.Giang Boulevard, Minh
Phung Street and such neighboring areas as Bai Say, Narn A, and Lo
Gorn. A governrnent force was dispatched hei:e in the rnorning suc-
ceeded in driving the intrude:s to the Lo Gorn area which carne under
air attack by 1300 hours. Meanwhile, the situation in the Eighth
Precinct continued to be serious forcing allied planes to attack sorne
1oc ations in this area.
9 Mav 1968. The enerny tried to open a new front in the Khanh Hoi
area - so far left untouched by the war - by concentrating his troops
in the Tan Thuan Dong Village for a conternplated thrust on Khanh Hoi,
adrnini s tr ative 1y known as the Fourth Precinct. As soon as fighting
started here, the local population once rnore left their hornes to seek
refuge in the city.

On this Ninth day of May, the enerny also sought to open
a new front in the village of Tan Thoi Hiep in Go Vap District but his
troops did not have a chance against an airborne force dispatched to
block their way. Although fighting continued here for a {u11 two days,

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