 Consequently, North Vietnamese leaders feared that if the Red River dikes were targeted by the Americans, Hanoi and the surrounding farmlands would be flooded.At the same time, the North Vietnamese government was afraid the VC might split in order to accommodate a resolution with the Saigon government, because the U.S.-backed government in the South was showing no sign of collapse.Despite the unfavorable developments in South Vietnam, PAVN General Trần Văn Trà believed North Vietnam could still win the war if they pursued a strategy of attrition.