Vietnam War: 1968-1975. Rare Photos, Pivotal Years - Part 1
January 30, 1968: The start of the Tet Offensive, a decisive moment when Vietcong forces launched a widespread assault during the Vietnamese holiday.
January 30, 1968: U.S. air policemen take cover during sniper fire near Da Nang Airbase, illuminated by flares after a rocket barrage as they hunt for infiltrating Viet Cong guerrillas.
February 10, 1968: The Battle of Saigon during the Tet Offensive's first wave, showcasing the fierce urban combat in Vietnam.
February 1968, Hue: The Republic of Vietnam flag flies over the old citadel as a jeep crosses a moat bridge amidst the Tet Offensive's intense fighting.
January 31, 1968, Da Nang: A poignant scene of a young Vietnamese boy fleeing gunfire, shielding his ears, as a dead civilian lies nearby on the street.
February 26, 1968, Hue: U.S. Marines and Vietnamese troops advance through the heavily damaged Imperial Palace, recaptured after 25 days of intense fighting and bombardment during the Tet Offensive.
January 31, 1968, Saigon: U.S. military police take cover at the U.S. Consulate entrance, with fallen soldiers nearby, following the Viet Cong's audacious invasion of the embassy compound on the Tet Offensive's first day.
February 19, 1968, Saigon: South Vietnamese combat police confront Viet Cong forces occupying city blocks, advancing towards a burning building in the northeastern part of the capital.
1971: Henry Kissinger's secret negotiations progress, proposing to separate the Vietnam ceasefire from talks on the future of the Saigon government, marking a shift towards withdrawal.
March 15, 1968: U.S. 9th Infantry Division's Mobile Riverine Force assault boats patrol the My Tho River in the Mekong Delta, southwest of Saigon.
March 17, 1968, London: Anti-Vietnam War demonstrators clash with police outside the U.S. Embassy in Grosvenor Square, highlighting international opposition to the conflict.
March 5, 1968, Khe Sanh Base: Marine Lance Corporal Roland Ball shaves in a trench, using a helmet and a vehicle mirror, amidst the North Vietnamese siege, a glimpse into daily life during wartime.
April 1968, Saigon: Vietnamese women navigate the city streets, a glimpse into everyday life during a period of intense conflict and urban unrest.
April 1968, Hill 689, Khe Sanh: A grim scene where fallen U.S. Marines lie half-buried, with comrades standing guard after a brutal battle against entrenched North Vietnamese forces.
April 1968, near Hue: A 101st Airborne Division first sergeant guides a medevac helicopter through dense jungle to evacuate casualties from a five-day patrol, as fellow troopers aid the wounded.
May 7, 1968, Saigon: Smoke billows from the city's southwest as residents flee across a bridge, escaping intense urban combat between Viet Cong and South Vietnamese forces.
May 1968, north of Saigon: Scenes of destruction and conflict mark the devastating impact of the second Tet Offensive wave in the Vietnam War.
June 1968, Saigon: A U.S. trooper sprints past a burning building, a stark image of the urban warfare that gripped the city.
July 31, 1968, White House: President Lyndon B. Johnson listens to a tape from his son-in-law, Marine Captain Charles Robb, serving as a company commander in Vietnam, highlighting the personal toll of the war.
