Vietnam and the United States exchange ambassadors

The CPA formally ended after seven years of regional refugee management. UNHCR continued to support some voluntary returns and assistance after the formal closure. The end of the plan did not mean...

The congress concluded after setting priorities for the next development period and continuing economic renovation. Its program sought to expand production and international integration under...

UNHCR ended a transitional period of repatriation and care assistance after the CPA. People who had returned to Vietnam still needed reintegration support, while regional governments and agencies...

The Senate confirmed Peterson’s appointment, moving the two countries toward routine diplomatic representation. A former POW became the first U.S. ambassador to postwar Vietnam. His appointment...

Peterson arrived to take up his post, beginning the work of the first U.S. ambassador in Vietnam since the war. His personal history as a former POW shaped public attention, while the embassy’s agenda...

Voters elected the Tenth National Assembly. The ballot included independent candidates, but all candidacies were approved through the Fatherland Front, which was headed by the ruling Communist...

The two governments agreed on a maritime boundary in the Gulf of Thailand, reducing one source of regional dispute. The agreement formed part of Vietnam’s wider diplomatic reintegration after the...

The U.S. president waived restrictions under the Jackson–Vanik amendment, which linked trade benefits to freedom of emigration. The step made some U.S. trade and investment programs available and...

The two governments signed an agreement enabling the Overseas Private Investment Corporation to support eligible U.S. investment in Vietnam. The agreement expanded economic engagement after...

Vietnam joined APEC at the ministerial meeting in Kuala Lumpur. Membership marked regional integration after years of conflict and isolation. It offered new economic and diplomatic channels, while...