Battle of Bến Tre

Battle of Bến Tre
	Part of the Tet Offensive of the Vietnam War
Date	31 January – 5 February 1968
Location	Bến Tre, South Vietnam10°14′11″N 106°22′26″E / 10.2364°N 106.374°E
Result	US–South Vietnamese victory
Belligerents
United States; South Vietnam	Viet Cong
Commanders and leaders
	Anthony P. DeLuca
Units involved
MACV Advisory Team 93; U.S. Navy River Section 534; 39th Infantry Regiment; 60th Infantry Regiment	518th Main Force Battalion; 516th Local Force Battalion
Casualties and losses
150 killed	328 killed
	528 civilians killed and over 5,000 homes destroyed
	Location within Vietnam

The Battle of Bến Tre took place during the Tet Offensive of the Vietnam War when Vietcong (VC) forces attacked Bến Tre, the capital of Kien Hoa Province, on 31 January 1968. The battle lasted until 5 February when U.S. and South Vietnamese forces ejected the VC who suffered 328 killed.

In the United States, the battle is best remembered for a quote from an unnamed American Major, reported by journalist Peter Arnett, that "It became necessary to destroy the town to save it." This quote has often been paraphrased as "We had to destroy the village in order to save it." The veracity of the original quote has often been questioned.