On February 1, 1968, just after the Tet Offensive of the Vietnam War, the bodies of Viet Cong guerrillas killed by U.S. and South Vietnamese troops piled up around Tan Son Nhat Air Base in the South Vietnamese capital of Saigon.

　　Bodies of Viet Cong (South Vietnam Liberation Front) guerrillas killed by U.S. and South Vietnamese troops piled up around Tan Son Nhat Air Base in Saigon, capital of South Vietnam, on February 1, 1968, just after the Tet Offensive in the Vietnam War.　　　

　The Tet Offensive between the North Vietnamese Army and the Viet Cong broke out on January 31, 1968. Tet (Vietnamese New Year), the explosion of firecrackers masked the sound of gunfire and provided an element of surprise to the Viet Cong offensive. South Vietnam's National Liberation Front (Viet Cong, NLF) forces and the People's Army of Vietnam (North Vietnamese Army) fought against the armies of the Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam), the United States, and its allies.On January 31, 1968, the Viet Cong (VC) launched the Tet Offensive The capital Saigon was the scene of the Tet Offensive. The capital Saigon was the center of the Tet Offensive. The complete capture of the capital Saigon was unintended and unrealizable. The 35 Viet Cong (VC) battalions attacked Saigon and temporarily offensive was launched at six points: the Army of the Republic of South Vietnam (ARVN) Joint Chiefs of Staff near Tan Son Nhat International Airport, the Independence Palace, the US Embassy, Tan Son Nhut Air Base, Long Binh Navy Headquarters, and the National Radio Station.

　The attack on Tan Son Nhut Air Base, which housed the headquarters of the Vietnamese Air Force (RVNAF) and the U.S. Air Force (USAF) 7th Air Force, occurred in the early morning hours of January 31, 1968. Tan Son Nhat Air Base was one of the major air bases supporting offensive air operations within South Vietnam and ground operations of the U.S. Army and the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN). Attacks by Viet Cong (VC) and People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) units were among the major assaults on Saigon in the first few days of the Tet Offensive. The Tet Offensive was repulsed with heavy losses to the Viet Cong and Vietnamese People's Army (VC/PAVN), while only superficial damage was inflicted on six points.