US-VIETNAM RELATIONS

US-VIETNAM RELATIONS
Chronology of U.S. - Vietnam Relations
Updated August 2007
1991
April 1991 – The George Bush Administration presents Hanoi with a “roadmap” plan for phased normalization of ties. The two sides agree to open a U.S. government office in Hanoi to help settle MIA issues.
April 1991 - Post-War USAID assistance begins when the Leahy War Victims Fund (LWVF) using a waiver from the U.S Congress to permit humanitarian activities in Vietnam, begins providing assistance to the disabled.
July 7, 1991 - United States Office for MIA Affairs opens officially for business in Hanoi. This is the first official USG agency present full-time in Vietnam since 1975.
October 1991 - Vietnam supports a UN peace plan for Cambodia. Secretary of State James Baker announces that Washington is ready to take steps toward normalizing relations with Hanoi.
December 1991 - Washington lifts the ban on organized U.S. travel to Vietnam. The U.S. Congress authorizes the United States Information Agency (USIA) to begin exchange programs with Vietnam.
1992
February 1992 - The Joint Task Force – Full Accounting is established with the goal of achieving the fullest possible account of Americans missing from the Vietnam War, including the 2,267 unaccounted for in Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam.
June 1992 – The Displaced Children and Orphans Fund (DCOF) receives a waiver from the U.S Congress to permit humanitarian activities in Vietnam.
1993
July 2, 1993 - The Clinton Administration clears the way for resumption of international lending, including that by the IMF and World Bank, to Vietnam.
1994
February 3, 1994 - President William J. Clinton lifts the U.S. trade embargo against Vietnam.
May 1994 - Consular Agreement signed by the United States and Vietnam.
1995
January 28, 1995 – The United States and Vietnam sign agreements settling property claims and establishing liaison offices in each other's capitals.
May 15, 1995 - Vietnam gives the U.S. presidential delegation a batch of documents on missing Americans, later hailed by the Pentagon as most detailed and informative of their kind to date.
June 1995 - Veterans of Foreign Wars announces support for normalization of U.S. diplomatic relations with Vietnam.
July 11, 1995 - President William J. Clinton announces "normalization of relations'' with Vietnam.

August 6, 1995 - Secretary of State Warren Christopher visits Hanoi and officially opens the U.S. Embassy. Vietnam opens an embassy in Washington.
November 7-10, 1995 - Former Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara visits Vietnam.
1996

May 1996 – The United States presents Vietnam with a trade agreement blueprint.

July 12, 1996 - U.S. National Security Adviser Anthony Lake visits Hanoi to mark the first anniversary of normalization of relations.
1997
April 7, 1997 - U.S. Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin and Finance Minister Nguyen Sinh Hung sign accord in Hanoi for Vietnam to repay debts of $145 million from the former government of South Vietnam.

April 10, 1997 - Senate confirms Douglas “Pete” Peterson, Vietnam War veteran and former prisoner of war (POW), as Ambassador to Vietnam.
May 9, 1997 - Le Van Bang presents his credentials as Ambassador in Washington, D.C.

June 24, 1997 - Secretary of State Madeline Albright arrives in Vietnam on an official visit.
June 27, 1997 – The United States and Vietnam signed a Copyright Agreement.
August 1997 – The U.S. government passes special legislation permitting the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to assist Vietnam in improving trade through a commercial law and trade policy technical program.
1998

March 11, 1998 - President William J. Clinton issues waiver of Jackson-Vanik Amendment for Vietnam, paving the way for OPIC, Ex-Im, TDA, USDA and MARAD activities.

March 26, 1998 - Minister of Planning & Investment Tran Xuan Gia and Ambassador Pete Peterson finalize signing of the OPIC Bilateral Agreement.

July 23, 1998 - The U.S. Senate votes 66-34 to continue funding for the U.S. Embassy in Vietnam based on ongoing cooperation on the POW/MIA issue.
1999
July 25, 1999 - USTR Ambassador Richard Fisher and Vietnam Trade Minister Tuyen agree to a Bilateral Trade Agreement in principle in Hanoi, Vietnam.
July 1999 – U.S.-Asia Environmental Partnership (U.S.-AEP) establishes Technology Representative offices in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City
September 1999 - USAID begins a technical program to the Ministry of Trade to support the acceleration of negotiations for the Bilateral Trade Agreement
December 9, 1999 – The Ex-Im Bank and the State Bank of Vietnam complete the framework agreements, which allow Ex-Im to begin operations in Vietnam.
2000

March 13, 2000 - Secretary of Defense William Cohen becomes the first U.S. Defense Secretary to visit Vietnam since the end of the War.

July 13, 2000 - Vietnam Trade Minister Vu Khoan and USTR Ambassador Barshefsky sign a Bilateral Trade Agreement at USTR. President William J. Clinton announces the Agreement at a White House Rose Garden ceremony.
November 16-20, 2000 - President William J. Clinton visits Vietnam, with Commerce Secretary Norman Mineta, USTR Ambassador Charlene Barshefsky, Senator John Kerry (D-MA), Congressmen Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), Vic Snyder (D-Ark), Mike Thompson (D-CA) and Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez (D-CA). Business delegations and the leadership of the Veterans of Foreign Wars attend.

November 17, 2000 - The U.S. Department of Labor and Vietnam’s Ministry of Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs sign a Memorandum of Understanding on Labor cooperation.

November 19, 2000 – In the presence of U.S. President William J. Clinton, Assistant Administrator for the Asia and the Near East (ANE) Bureau Robert C. Randolph opens the Office of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in Hanoi.
2001
January 2001 - The U.S. Congress passes the Vietnam Education Foundation Act, which provides annual funding of $5 million until 2019 to enable Vietnamese students to study in the United States.

January 15-18, 2001 - House Minority leader Dick Gephardt (D-MO) and Congressman Ray LaHood (R-IL) lead a Congressional delegation to Vietnam.

July 24-26, 2001 - Secretary of State Colin Powell pays a three-day visit to Vietnam where he attends the ASEAN Regional Forum in Hanoi. It is Powell's first visit to Vietnam since he served in the War in 1969.
September 27, 2001 - USAID launches the Support for Trade AcceleRation (STAR-Vietnam) project to support Vietnam for Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) implementation.
October 16, 2001 - President George W. Bush signs the Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) into Public Law No: 107-52.
December 9-14, 2001 - Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung heads a high level delegation to Washington, D.C., New York and San Francisco, accompanied by Vu Khoan, Minister of Trade; Tran Xuan Gia, Minister of Planning and Investment; Nguyen Manh Kiem, Minister of Construction; other government officials, and over 60 members from the Vietnamese private sector.

December 10, 2001 - U.S – The Vietnam Bilateral Trade Agreement is signed in Washington, D.C. by USTR Ambassador Robert Zoellick and Deputy Prime Minister Dung, Trade Minister Vu Khoan.

2002
March 3-6, 2002 - The first Vietnamese-U.S. scientific conference on Agent Orange opens in Hanoi, with the participation of hundreds of U.S. and Vietnamese researchers.

April 8, 2002 – The Ministry of Justice reports that approximately 150 Vietnamese laws are found to be inconsistent with provisions of the Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA).
May 6-7, 2002 - Deputy USTR Ambassador Jonathan Huntsman opens the Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) Joint Committee in Hanoi.
May 10, 2002 - Vice President Nguyen Thi Binh visits Washington, D.C.

May 18, 2002 - Vice Minister of Trade Luong Van Tu leads a trade delegation to the United States.

June 1-8, 2002 - Minister of Justice Nguyen Dinh Loc visits the United States for meetings on implementation of the Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA).

June 12-22, 2002 - Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Manh Cam visits Texas, New York, Massachusetts and Washington D.C.
2003

April 3, 2003 - Congressman Chris Smith reintroduces the Vietnam Human Rights Act (H.R.1587) into the U.S. House of Representatives.
July 15, 2003 – The Vietnam Human Rights Act is added as an amendment to the House Foreign Relations Authorization Act (HR 1950). The authorization bill passes in the House on July 15 and is sent to the Senate.
July 17, 2003 – The Vietnam-U.S. Garment and Textile Agreement is signed in Hanoi by Vietnamese Minister of Trade Truong Dinh Tuyen and U.S. Ambassador Raymond Burghardt.
September 16, 2003 - Minister of Trade Truong Dinh Tuyen visits the United States.
October 5, 2003 - Minister of Planning & Investment Vo Hong Phuc visits the United States to promote bilateral investment.

November 10, 2003 - Minister of Defense Pham Van Tra visits the United States to discuss cooperation in regional security promotion.
November 19, 2003 - Navy missile frigate USS Vandegrift docks in Ho Chi Minh City, becoming the first U.S. Navy ship to dock in Vietnam since the end of the War, a symbolic act aimed at boosting relations between Vietnam and the United States.
December 4, 2003 - Vietnam Deputy Prime Minister Vu Khoan visits Washington, D.C. and other U.S. cities. The United States and Vietnam sign a Bilateral Aviation Agreement.

December 12, 2003 - Vietnam World Trade Organization (WTO) negotiators participate in a Working Party Meeting in Geneva. Bilateral discussions are held with the United States.

December 2003 - Letter of Agreement on Counternarcotics Cooperation is signed by Le Van Bang and Ambassador Raymond Burghardt.
2004
February 10-11, 2004 – Admiral Thomas Fargo, Commander, U.S. Pacific command, paid a two-day visit to Vietnam, stopping in Hanoi and Danang.
February 26, 2004 - First American Corner opens in Danang.

April 2, 2004 - Formation of the Congressional U.S.-Vietnam Caucus, which seeks to monitor and support normalized relations between the United States and Vietnam, with Congressmen Rob Simmons (R-CT) and Lane Evans (D-IL) co-chairs. National Assembly Vice President Mr. Nguyen Phuc Thanh and Vietnamese Ambassador to the United States, H.E. Nguyen Tam Chien host an event to celebrate this occasion on April 28th, 2004.

June 7-12, 2004 - Truong Dinh Tuyen, Vietnam’s Minister of Trade, meets in Washington with key U.S. government officials to discuss Vietnam's accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO), the U.S.-Vietnam Textile Agreement, and implementation of the U.S.-Vietnamese Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA).

June 16, 2004 - Vietnam holds the 8th Working Party round of WTO accession negotiations in Geneva, Switzerland. Bilateral negotiations are held with various member countries including Australia, the EU, and the United States.

June 23, 2004 - President George W. Bush designates Vietnam as one of 15 “focus countries” for the $15 billion President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) to combat HIV/AIDS globally.

July 19, 2004 – The Viet Nam Human Rights Act of 2003 (H.R. 1587), passes the House of Representatives by a vote of 323-45.
July 22-23, 2004 - Deputy USTR Josette Shiner visits Hanoi to discuss BTA Implementation and Vietnam’s accession to the World Trade Organization.

July 28, 2004 – The USS Curtis Wilbur DDG-54 arrives in Danang, becoming the second U.S. Navy ship to visit Vietnam since 1975. Senior officers of the ship meet local officials and representatives of the Vietnamese Navy Zone 3.
September 15, 2004 - Vietnam is designated a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) under the U.S. Religious Freedom Act.
September 19-26, 2004 - Washington State Governor Gary Locke leads a 25-member trade delegation through Vietnam to explore business opportunities for the state.

September 20-24, 2004 - Minister of Justice Uong Chu Luu visits the United States.

October 5, 2004 - Vice Minister of Finance Le Thi Bang Tam visits the United States.

October 18-20, 2004 - Assistant Secretary of Consular Affairs Maura Harty visits HCMC and Hanoi.

October 25-28, 2004 - Members of the U.S. Working Party and Vietnam’s World Trade Organization negotiating team meet in Washington, D.C. for another round of bilateral negotiations and discussions on multilateral commitments for Vietnam’s WTO accession.

December 11, 2004 - United Airlines’ inaugural flight from San Francisco to Ho Chi Minh City, making United the first U.S. carrier to provide direct service between the United States and Vietnam.

2005
January 6, 2005 - The U.S. International Trade Commission upholds the February 2004 preliminary finding that imports have injured, or are likely to injure, U.S. shrimp processors and fishermen. The Panel reaffirms with a 6-0 vote that frozen shrimp have hurt the U.S. industry, but votes 4-2 to scrap tariffs on canned imports, which make up about 0.4% of imports.
March 29, 2005 - The USS Gary arrives in the port of HCMC, marking the celebration of the 10th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations between the United States and Vietnam.
May 5-6, 2005 - Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick visits Hanoi and HCMC.
June 19-24, 2005 - Prime Minister Phan Van Khai meets President George W. Bush in Washington, D.C. in the first visit by a Vietnamese Prime Minister in the post-War period. During his visit, the two countries sign an Economic and Technical Cooperation Agreement, as well as agreements on international adoptions, intelligence, and military cooperation. The Prime Minister, accompanied by more than 100 public and private sector representatives, visit three other cities and sign a number of key business contracts.
July 12, 2005 - 10th Anniversary of the Normalization of U.S.-Vietnam Diplomatic Relations. Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs Gordon Mansfield visits Hanoi as the White House representative. Anniversary events include several musical performances and a photography exhibit.
Oct. 13-16, 2005 - U.S. Secretary of Health Michael Leavitt visits Vietnam for discussions on avian influenza and cooperation on combating HIV/AIDS through the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).
2006
January 6, 2006 - Minister of Health Tran Thi Trung Chien and U.S. Ambassador Michael W. Marine sign an Action Plan establishing a bilateral partnership between the United States and Vietnam to prevent HIV/AIDS in Vietnam.
February 20, 2006 – The United States and Vietnam resume bilateral talks in Hanoi on human rights after a three-year break. Department of State Assistant Secretary for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor Barry Lowenkron presents foreign ministry officials with a list of prisoners of concern.
March 1, 2006 – The second American Corner opens in Haiphong.
April 2006 - Amendment to Annex III of the letter of Agreement (LOA) on Counternarcotics Cooperation between Vietnam and the United States is signed between Ambassador Michael W. Marine and Lt. General Le The Tiem, Vice Minister of Public Security.
April 21, 2006 - Visit to Vietnam by Speaker of the House of Representatives Dennis Hastert.
April 26-29, 2006 – U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs R. James Nicholson visits Vietnam for discussions with senior Vietnamese officials.
May 14, 2006 - The United States and Vietnam reach a bilateral agreement-in-principle on Vietnam’s accession to the WTO.
May 31-June 2, 2006 – Deputy United States Trade Representatives Susan Schwab and Karan Bhatia visit Ho Chi Minh City to participate in the 12th meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Trade Ministers. The United States and Vietnam sign the bilateral agreement on Vietnam’s accession to the WTO.
June 4-6, 2006 - Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld visits Vietnam to discuss ways to broaden defense cooperation.
June 13, 2006 - Senators Max Baucus and Gordon Smith introduce bill S.3495 to grant Vietnam Permanent Normal Trade Rights (PNTR). In the House of Representatives, H.R.5602, a companion bill of S.3495, is introduced by Rep. Jim Ramstad and Mike Thompson.
July 1-5, 2006 - The USS Patriot and USS Salvor visit Ho Chi Minh City.
July 12, 2006 - Senate Finance Committee holds a hearing on granting Vietnam PNTR.
July 13-16, 2006 – Commander, U.S. Pacific Command, Admiral William Fallon paid a four day visit to Vietnam, stopping in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.
August 17, 2006 – A Letter of Understanding regarding continuing labor cooperation between the U.S. Department of Labor and the Vietnamese Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs is signed in Washington D.C.
September 8, 2006 - Visit to Hanoi by U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Henry Paulson.
November 7, 2006 - The World Trade Organization formally invites Vietnam to become a member.
November 17-20, 2006 - U.S. President George W. Bush begins a four-day visit to Vietnam where he participates in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders' meeting. The President and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice visit Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. USTR Susan Schwab attends APEC Ministerial, has other bilateral meetings and participates in other events in Hanoi November 15-18.
November 17-20, 2006 - U.S. President George W. Bush begins a four-day visit to Vietnam where he participates in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders' meeting. The President and Secretary of State Condaleeza Rice visit Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.
December 8-9, 2006 – U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate pass legislation to allow extension of Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR) status to Vietnam.
December 1-11, 2006 - Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Thien Nhan visits the United States to examine higher education management in the United States.
December 29, 2006 - President Bush signs proclamation extending PNTR to Vietnam.
2007
January 11, 2007 - Vietnam becomes the 150th Member of the World Trade Organization.
January 22-23, 2007 - Admiral Gary Roughead, Commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, pays a two-day visit to Vietnam, meeting with Vice Admiral Nguyen Van Hien, Commander of the Vietnamese Navy.
March 11-16, 2007 - Deputy Prime Minister Pham Gia Khiem visits the United States.
March 15, 2007 – The U.S.-Vietnam Bilateral Maritime Agreement is signed in Washington D.C.
April 8, 2007 - During a three-day visit, Microsoft Corporation Chairman Bill Gates and his wife Melinda meet Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung to discuss ways to improve children’s health.
June 18-23, 2007 - President Nguyen Minh Triet visits the United States. The visit includes a call on President George W. Bush to discuss cooperation in the areas of economics and trade. He is accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Gia Khiem, Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Thien Nhan, and Minister of Post and Telecommunications Do Trung Ta. The Bilateral Trade Agreement Review takes place in Washington. Vice Minister of Post and Telecommunications Nguyan Cam Tu and Deputy USTR Karan Bhatia sign Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) on June 21.
June 25-July 2, 2007 - Minister of Culture and Information Le Doan Hop visits the United States to attend the opening of the Smithsonian Museum’s Folklife Festival “Life on the Mekong.”
July 15-25, 2007 – The USS Peleliu docks in Danang, Vietnam, to support humanitarian medical, engineering, and community service projects.