1985 - 2000

U.S. offers political asylum to Vietnamese prisoners.

An offensive launched against refugee Khmer Rouge rebels spills over the Thai border and eventually involves Thai troops. The Vietnamese are successful in suppressing the rebels and solidify their hold on Cambodia despite criticism from neighboring countries and the United Nations.

George H. W. Bush elected 41st President of U.S.

All Vietnamese troops exit Cambodia paving the way for UN-sponsored elections in 1993. As a result of the elections, a coalition government is formed and work on a new constitution begins.

According to a report issued by The National Academy of Science, use of chemical herbicides during the war caused long-term damage to the ecology of Vietnam. Subsequent inquiries will focus on the connection between certain herbicides, particularly Agent Orange, and widespread reports of cancer, skin disease, and other disorders suffered by individuals exposed to them.

Peace agreement signed in Paris between Vietnam and Cambodia, allowing power to be shared between the major factions. Sihanouk made head of state.

As Communist Vietnam inched toward market reforms and pledged full cooperation in finding all Americans listed as still missing in action, the United States restores diplomatic ties with its former enemy.

Former Defense Secretary Robert McNamara, one of the key architects of the U.S. war policy in Vietnam, admits grave mistakes in that policy in his memoir, In Retrospect. McNamara, in his book, says that "...We were wrong, terribly wrong. We owe it to future generations to explain why."

Ushering in a new era of cooperation between the two former enemies, the United States and Vietnam exchange ambassadors. Douglas "Pete" Peterson, a prisoner of war for six years during the Vietnam War, is named U.S. envoy to the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, while H.E. Le Van Bang assumes the position of Vietnamese ambassador to the United States.

President Bill Clinton travels to Vietnam at the invitation of President Tran Duc Luong. He addresses a range of issues the United States hopes to advance with the people and government of Vietnam following the normalization of U.S. ties with Vietnam.