Former US President Bill Clinton attended a ceremony celebrating 20 years of normalized Vietnam - US diplomatic ties in Hanoi on July 2nd. This is the fifth time he has visited Vietnam.

Party Secretary General Nguyen Phu Trong met with former US President Bill Clinton on July 2.

Former President Bill Clinton traveled to Hanoi to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the historic normalization of diplomatic relations between the United States and Vietnam.  

The 1995 announcement was one of many actions taken by President Clinton to help the two nations embrace the spirit of reconciliation and move into the future together, including the lifting of the trade embargo and the negotiation of a bilateral trade agreement.

On July 11, 1995, President Clinton announced “the normalization of diplomatic relationships with Vietnam,” paving the way for historic engagement.  

This breakthrough led to the Comprehensive Partnership signed by President Obama and President Sang in 2013 and to the shared vision that characterizes the multi-faceted bilateral relationship that guides our two countries into the future.  

U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam Ted Osius announced the former President’s participation at the Consulate General’s Twentieth Anniversary Gala held in Ho Chi Minh City on Wednesday, July 1.  Guest of Honor Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh represented the Government of Vietnam.  Former Ambassadors Douglas “Pete” Peterson and Michael W. Michalak and First Charge D’Affaires Desaix Anderson were among the guests.

Ambassador Osius said at the Consulate General’s July 1 Gala: “As I look back, I recall that first Independence Day event 18 years ago was not as elegant as this one, there were fewer guests, there were fewer American officials working here, fewer American companies …. But still, that event was important symbolically because it represented a new era between our two countries…. What we learned during those early years… was that despite being former enemies, the U.S. and Vietnam could build a new relationship….  So, as Ambassador, I am optimistic.  

"I have learned to embrace our past, I have reason to celebrate the successes of the last 20 years and I know that the future of this relationship is limitless.  I believe that the American and Vietnamese people will continue to move forward together and to engage in ever greater cooperation across a wider range of activities.”  

Former US President Bill Clinton.         Clinton's first visit Vietnam in November 2000.         His wife , Hillary Clinton and  his daughter Chelsea joined him on this special visit.         Bill Clinton shook hands with the Vietnamese public at the Temple of Literature in 2000.       On December 7th 2006, he returned to Vietnam and founded the Clinton Foundation to assist HIV victims across  the world, including Vietnam.         Bill Clinton arrived in Vietnam on November 14th 2010 to strengthen bilateral relations between Vietnam and the US.