It has been 37 years since the U.S. withdrew from Vietnam, 39 since the war officially ended with the fall of Saigon in 1975, and 15 years since normalized relations between the two nations began.
 President George W. Bush exchanges handshakes with Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, during their meeting Tuesday, June 24, 2008, in the Oval Office of the White House. White House photo by Eric Draper |
A lot has changed since the U.S. and Vietnam War and in the past 15 years, wounds of war have begun to heal and the two nations have built a strong relationship that has blossomed since 1995. President Bill Clinton first announced the normalization of relations between the two countries on July 12, 1995 and now, in the year 2010, the relationship is, "Stronger than its ever been." According to the U.S. Embassy, "Our relationship (with Vietnam) continues to grow, based on friendship, mutual respect, and cooperation on a wide range of issues with a view to the long-term interests of both countries."
As the two nations commemorate the success of the last 15 years and look towards progress in the next 15, here is a summary of the relations and what they have become:
The U.S. government originally opened dialogue with Vietnam on the matter of POW/MIA issues following the war. They received a great deal of cooperation from the government and in 1993, the U.S. dropped its restrictions about bilateral and multilateral lending to Vietnam. This would open the door for fully normalized relations just two years later.
In 2000, the U.S. and Vietnam signed an agreement regarding bilateral trade. This, according to official U.S. embassy statements, "Not only fundamentally altered the U.S. - Vietnam economic ties, spurring trade and investment and bolstering Vietnam's own efforts to liveralize its economy, but changed the tenor of the bilateral relationship as a whole." Other immediate benefits became more noticeable such as tourism, economic relations and cultural exchanges. Shortly after, President Clinton became the first President since the end of the war to visit Vietnam.
In 2006, President George Bush visited Hanoi followed by President Nguyen Minh Triet visiting Washington D.C. in 2007.
2009 saw two-way trade reach 15.4 billion U.S. dollars and the U.S. was the largest foreign investor in Vietnam. Now, in 2010, bilateral relations are at their highest. The U.S. is Vietnam's largest export market and third-largest overall trade partner. Students studying in the U.S. were at 800 in 1995 and now that number has risen to over 13,000.
The U.S. has invested over 37 million USD towards "Humanitarian Mine and Unexploded Ordinance Removal" and an additional 43 million, since 1989, to support organizations assisting people with disabilities.
The two nations have also engaged in many cultural exchanages and outreach programs as well as education. One priority of Ambassador to Vietnam Michael Michalak is, "I would like to work very hard to help the Government of Vietnam strengthen its own education infrastructure and i have made a commitment that I will work [to] double the number of students from Vietnam to study at American schools."
The two nations have also worked together towards handling Agent Orange and Dioxin issues. "Agent Orange has long been a sensitive issue for both countries and we have differed over the lasting impact of the defoliant on Vietnam. I am pleased to say we are now engaged in practical, constructive cooperation," shared Scot Marciel, the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State.
P.O.W. and M.I.A. is an area where Vietnam has provided substantial support to the U.S. 659 individuals have been identified while 1,309 Americans remain unaccounted for. There have been 114 repatriation ceremonies held in Vietnam.
Military to military and defense issues betweeen the U.S. and Vietnam are something that continue to be strengthened. "Over the past decade, our two militaries have focused on developing cooperative relations for peacekeeping operations and training, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, maritime security, military medicine, miliitary science and technology, and exchanges of high-level visits, as well as ways to increase understanding between the two militaries."
PEPFAR (The President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief) has also played a major role in enhancing the relationship. Since 2004, Vietnam has received more than 409 million USD to support HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment and care programs. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said, "It is clear that our nation's investments in HIV/AIDS are having an impact. President Obama and I are dedicated to enhancing America's leadership in the fight against global AIDS."
These substantial cooperations between the two nations have brought the relationship astoundingly far in just 15 short years. Currrently, 20,000 U.S. citizens live in Vietnam and it is estimated that 430,000 Americans visited the country last year. Over 240,000 Vietnamese have legally immigrated to the U.S. and that makes Vietnam the 6th largest source of legal immigration to the U.S.
The great potential and speedy development of Vietnam is only expected to strengthen the relationship even more as the two nations celebrate 15 years and push the pains of the past further behind them.
