In 1970 a USAID Agriculture adviser drove his GMC Jimmy from Quang Tri near the DMZ on highway I to the Ca Mau Peninsula in the far south without once taking a shot. The action around Pleiku and Kontum in I Corps was minimal. The usually active Quang Tin and Quang Ngai were quiescent as most Viet Cong had been sacrificed on Tet 68, and the NVA has scooted into Laos. Seal bases along the Mekong, especially the large one at Binh Dinh were quiet. In sum, the war was on hold as the NVA waited for us to leave. And we did. And then, repeat then, the war was lost.
By Spring of 1971 they were whipped. They wouldn’t stand and fight. The ones we captured were in pitiful physical condition and their gear was in a deplorable state.
Your comment about the USAID worker fits my recall exactly in our AO (NE of Saigon in the old War Zone D). The roads were full of cars, motos, and buses. The people were moving around freely. All of those little towns like Gia Ray were experiencing a building boom with new houses, stores, etc. Six months before you wouldn’t go outside the gates w/o full gear. By April of ‘71 I’d take a jeep out by myself with just a .45.
War can be fun when you’re kicking ass.