But in 1968, Giap decided to attack and aimed to break the stalemate in Vietnam.Giap believed the alliance between South Vietnam and the United States was unstable and he thought American leaders would give up their defense of South Vietnam.On the early morning of January 30, 1968, Viet Cong forces attacked 13 cities in central South Vietnam. Twenty-four hours later, the Viet Cong forces struck a number of other targets throughout South Vietnam, including cities, towns, government buildings and U.S. or ARVN military bases throughout South Vietnam.
Even though the battle was success but it inflicted heavy Viet Cong losses. The Battle of Hue would rage for more than three weeks after the Viet Cong forces burst into the city on January 31, easily overwhelming the government forces there and taking control of the city’s ancient citadel. Their location was on the Perfume River, or Song Huong, the city of Hue, some 50 miles south of the Demilitarized Zone (DZ) between North and South Vietnam .