Page 390 - The Viet-Cong Tet_Offensive_1968

Phan Thiet

Phan Thiet city, located on the shore of the sea and about
lT0krns ENE of Saigon, is divided into two sections by the Muong Man
or Ca Ty river. The residential and business sectlon is on the right or
southern bank. The adrninistrative section is on the le{t or northeastern
bank. The city sits astride the river's estuary. Northern portion of the
river can be {orded at ebb tide. The two sections of the city are linked
to each other by a steel bridge. The sections have a cornbined popula-
tion of about 50,000 inhabitants living in seven harnlets - four on the
southern left bank of the Muong Man river and three on the northern
right bank. The right bank harnLets are Duc Nghia,Duc Thang, Duc
Long and Lac Dao. The three left bank harnlets are Phu Trinh, Binh
Hung and Vinh Phu.
Three krns west of the city is the airfield where a.'US Air
Force unit was stationed. The airfield also included helipads. On the
northwestern side of the city is a vast wild expanse of white sand easy
for the enerny to infiltrate. The southern side borders on the sea and
is a busy fishing and {ish sauce rnanufacturing area'
The city people are predorninently hard workers who rnake
a living out o{ fishing, {ish sauce rnanufacturing and srnall businesses'
Generally they are not interested in politics or politically -oriented.
This explains why enerny agents had always been unable to secure any
firrn political foothold in the city proPer. Against this background one
can conclude that the enernyrs 1968 Tet offensive was launched from
outside bases rnany rniles away.

A. THE PHAN THIET OFFENSIVE.

In a period of slightly over one rnonth the city was subjec-
ted to four distinct ground assaults during the I968 Tet of{ensive. The
first assault lasted the first seven days of Tet or frorn Jan 30 through
Feb 5. The second one lasted Frorn Feb 17 through Feb Z0; the third
one {rorrr I.eb Z5 through Eeb 26 and the fourth one only one day, Mar
rz.
The {irst assault started around 0325 h, on Jan 31' The
enerny sirnultaneously attacked the airfield, key area 44 between Dinh

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