A noodle shop's role in Vietnam War

By Mark Magnier, Los Angeles Times
May 4, 2010


Reporting from Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
For decades now, the Pho Binh noodle cafe, tucked behind a tangle of parked motorcycles on Ly Chinh Thang Street, has served its trademark dish — "peace noodles."

A survivor of Ho Chi Minh City's relentless real estate makeover, the seven-table eatery ladles out bowl after steaming bowl of the soup, made with strips of beef and piles of rice noodles, fresh basil and cilantro. Many of the appreciative customers are unaware of the very unpeaceful plot that unfolded long ago in the family rooms upstairs.

Nguyen Kim Bach, son-in-law of the late owner, is more than aware of the plot. He was involved in it.

Nguyen, 70, is one of the last living members of the secret F100 Viet Cong cell that planned and helped carry out Saigon's part in the January 1968 Tet offensive, using the noodle shop as their base.

The surprise attack on targets in the South Vietnam capital failed militarily. So, too, did the broader offensive by North Vietnam against more than 100 U.S.-supported cities and military targets in the south.

But it proved a political turning point, convincing millions of Americans watching reports on TV that the war couldn't be won. "We were beaten that day," Nguyen said. "But after that, the Americans started negotiating."

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http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/asia/la-fg-noodle-cafe-20100504,0,7108993.story

remind me again, how many Vietnamese people died?