Three decades after Vietnam War, visit by American ship signals new military ties

Three decades after Vietnam War, visit by American ship signals new
military ties

(EXCERPT)

Richard Vogel / AP A Vietnamese woman paddles her rowboat across the
Saigon River.

ASSOCIATED PRESS HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam, Nov. 18 — The USS
Vandergrift's journey this week up the Saigon River will be a historic
one — the last time an American ship was in Vietnamese waters was
during the war.

Wednesday's arrival of the U.S. Navy frigate into Saigon Port
underscores the huge strides made by Vietnam and Washington in the
three decades since U.S. forces withdrew from a conflict that killed 3
million Vietnamese and 58,000 Americans. Bilateral ties between the
former wartime foes have been steadily expanding since diplomatic
relations were established in 1995. Trade has boomed with the passage
of a landmark agreement in 2001. But the only real progress in the
area of military ties was the joint search for Americans listed as
missing in action during the war. That is changing, as reflected by
last week's histo...

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---------------------------
Otis Willie
Associate Librarian
The American War Library
http://www.americanwarlibrary.com