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| Diana Lalata Class of 2017 |
In “Spies, Allies, and Murder? The Ominous
Origins of the Tet Offensive,” University of Kentucky historian Lien-Hang
Nguyen reveals the truth behind the myths of the Vietnam War and the success of
the Tet Offensive. As Dr. Nguyen explained the history behind the Tet Offensive
and Le Duan’s motivations for this particular war strategy, I was immediately reminded
of lessons learned from Sun Tzu’s The Art of War.
In The Art of War, Sun Tzu emphasizes the
importance of building strategy and carefully planning in order to be more
properly equipped to handle conflict than those who are unprepared. Le Duan intricately
planned the surprise military campaign long before 1968, when the Tet Offensive
took place. The Viet Cong and North Vietnamese People’s Army caught the U.S.
war effort off-guard and caused a major setback during the war.
In addition to preparation, Sun Tzu argues that
successful military leaders should also recognize when change is needed and
utilize flexibility to one’s advantage. In the 1960s, the Tet Offensive was
opposed by both China and the Soviet Union, two important allies to Le Duan at
the time. Although this rivalry proved difficult for Le Duan to pursue his
military strategy, he used the rivalry between the two countries to his
advantage, tilting more towards China because of the Soviet Union’s lack of
commitment to third world revolutions. The competition for Hanoi between China
and the Soviet Union proved beneficial to Le Duan, who then launched the
unforeseen 1968 Tet Offensive and 1972 Easter Offensive, and impeded the United
States’ peace negotiations with the Soviet Union and China.
The third and final lesson I related to the Tet
Offensive from The Art of War is Sun Tzu’s advice that “rapidity is the
essence of war” and one should take advantage of the enemy’s unreadiness. By
initiating the Tet Offensive, Le Duan pursued the interests of his party, even
when his plans were opposed. Mr. Duan worked quickly and consistently, not
missing an opportunity to execute a successful attack in times of weakness. As
previously stated, the Tet Offensive proved detrimental to any future peace negotiations
and towards the end of the war, Hanoi leaders further complicated the United
States’ attempt to withdraw from Southeast Asia.
The war ended in 1975 and the United States was
left with multiple lessons to learn from in terms of war, military strategy,
and foreign policy. Many American politicians refer to Sun Tzu’s The Art of
War, but it is uncertain that these lessons have actually been implemented
correctly or will be used for future military operations.
Diana Lalata is a junior McConnell Scholar at the University of Louisville studying political science, English, Spanish, and social change.