Vietnam Cong Hoa "Victims of the Mau Than Tet Incident"

VIETNAM CONG HOA on 31 January 1970 issued a set of First Day Cover stamps called "Victims of the Mau Than Tet Incident" was issued.

The Việt Cộng and North Vietnamese Army staged a large-scale attack during the celebration of the Vietnamese New Year (Tết) in 1968, breaking a holiday truce and surprising the South Vietnamese Army. The Tết Offensive was widely considered a military failure that resulted in great losses for the Việt Cộng who had expected the people of the South to rise up and join the fight with them. It was, however, a public relations victory for the Communists as the American public, under the impression victory was close at hand, became disillusioned, leading to the start of U.S. troop withdrawal.

There were a series of stamps in 1970 about reconstruction after the Tết Offensive. One series was for the reconstruction of residences damaged in the Offensive and retaliation. The stamps, shown here, honoured the victims of the Tết Offensive.

Another was specifically for the reconstruction of Huế, the former imperial city, which was held under siege for a month by the North during the Offensive and suffered damage to its historic buildings as the U.S. forces fought to recapture it. The Battle for Huế was one of the longest in the Second Vietnam War.