This event only served to encourage Hanoi's message of reunification under a common goal, a message that Saigon could not effectively match. This played into the hands of the North Vietnamese who followed the “Dau Tranh” strategy which aims to combine armed conflict in the context of political dissidence. Therefore, although armed and political Dau Tranh may designate separate groups of activities, conceptually they cannot be separated (Pike, p. 233). By creating an unbroken link between conflict and political dissidence, the North was able to effectively communicate its message to the South Vietnamese, who felt abandoned by their government. With the country engulfed in fierce fighting, it is easy to see how the message of politics and armed conflict can easily be spread