President Clinton Visit to Vietnam
November 16 – 19, 2000

Hanoi

U.S. first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton, left, shakes hands with Vi Le Peterson, the wife of U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam Pete Peterson at the Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi, Vietnam Thursday Nov.16, 2000. Mrs. Clinton arrived ahead of President Bill Clinton as they will begin a historic visit to Vietnam, the first by an American president since the two nations were at war more than a quarter century ago. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)

US First Lady Hillary Clinton talks with a group of Vietnamese officials on her arrival at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi, November 16, 2000.  (AP Photo/David Guttenfelder)




President Clinton and daughter Chelsea disembark from Air Force One at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi, Vietnam Thursday Nov.16, 2000. Clinton arrived to begin an historic visit to Vietnam, the first by an American President since the two nations were at war 25 years ago. (AP Photo/David Guttefelder)

President Clinton is greeted by U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam Pete Peterson upon his arrival at Noi Bai Airport in Hanoi, Vietnam  Thursday Nov. 16, 2000. Clinton, became the first U.S. president to visit the communist country that America could not defeat 25 years ago. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

President Clinton waves as he arrives at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi, Vietnam Thursday Nov.16, 2000.  From left are Chelsea Clinton,  Ambassador to Vietnam Pete Peterson, Clinton, and an unidentified Vietnamese official. Clinton became the first U.S. president to visit Hanoi, capital of the communist country that America could not defeat 25 years ago. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

U.S. President Bill Clinton, accompanied by Vietnamese President Tran Duc Luong, is presented to a military honor guard during his official arrival ceremony in Hanoi November 17, 2000. President Clinton is the first serving U.S. president to visit Vietnam since the late President Nixon's visit in 1969./Rathavary Duong (Reuters)

The arrival ceremony for President Clinton takes place at the Presidential Palace in Hanoi.  The President  is accompanied by President Tran Duc Luong.  /White House Photo Gallery

U.S. President Bill Clinton stands with Vietnamese President Tran Duc Luong as they listen to the Amercian national anthem during Clinton's official arrival ceremony at the Presidential Palace in Hanoi November 17, 2000. Clinton is the first serving U.S. president to visit Vietnam since the late Richard Nixon's visit in 1969./Gary Hershorn (Reuters)

U.S. President Bill Clinton reviews a guard of honor during his official arrival ceremony in Hanoi November 17, 2000. Clinton is the first serving U.S. president to visit Vietnam since the late Richard Nixon's visit in 1969./Gary Hershorn (Reuters)

Old enemies, new friends: President Clinton walking past Vietnamese Navy sailors during his visit to Hanoi.

U.S. President Bill Clinton, first lady and Senator-elect Hillary Rodham Clinton and their daughter Chelsea pose with Vietnam President Tran Duc Luong and his wife Nguyen Thi Vinh (L) before meetings in the Presidential Palace in Hanoi November 17, 2000. Behind Clinton is a statue of former Vietnamese revolutionary leader Ho Chi Minh. Clinton is the first serving U.S. president to visit Vietnam since the late Richard Nixon's visit in 1969./Larry Downing (Reuters)

U.S. President Bill Clinton sits with Vietnam President Tran Duc Luong in front of a statue of former Vietnamese revolutionary leader Ho Chi Minh before a bilateral meeting in the Presidential Palace in Hanoi November 17, 2000./Larry Downing (Reuters)

U. S. President Bill Clinton(R) talks with U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam Douglas "Pete" Peterson during meetings in the Presdiential Palace in Hanoi November 17, 2000. Peterson served in the U.S. Air Force during the Vietnam war and was a POW in the famous "Hanoi Hilton" for more than six years. Clinton will spend three days in Vietnam visiting Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City./Larry Downing

Bilateral Meeting between President Clinton and Vietnamese President Tran Duc Luong at the Presidential Palace Hanoi, Vietnam.  /White House Photo Gallery

U.S. President Bill Clinton views a huge ancient bell during a visit at the Temple of Literature, the site of the country's oldest university, in Hanoi November 17, 2000. President Clinton is the first serving U.S. president to visit Vietnam since President Nixon's visit in 1969. Clinton will travel to Ho Chi Minh City on November 18./Claro Cortes IV (Reuters)

A shy Vietnamese girl turns away after presenting U.S. President Bill Clinton with a bouquet of flowers during his visit to the Temple of Literature in Hanoi November 17, 2000. President Clinton is the first serving U.S. president to visit Vietnam since President Nixon's visit in 1969. Clinton will travel to Ho Chi Minh City November 18./Claro Cortes IV (Reuters)

U.S. President Bill Clinton meets with Vietnamese Prime Minister Phan Van Khai in Hanoi November 17, 2000. President Clinton is the first serving U.S. President to visit Vietnam since President Nixon's visit in 1969. Clinton will travel to Ho Chi Minh City on November 18./Rathavary Duong (Reuters)

President Clinton is greeted by students upon arrival at Hanoi National University.  The President’s address was broadcast live to the citizens of Vietnam. / White House Photo Gallery

U.S. President Bill Clinton speaks at the Vietnam National University in Hanoi in a speech that was broadcast to the nation November 17, 2000. Clinton's speech was the first ever broadcast live to the citizens of Vietnam by a visiting foreign leader. Clinton is on a three day visit to Vietnam./Larry Downing (Reuters)

A Vietnamese watches a speech by U.S. President Bill Clinton in Hanoi November 17, 2000. Clinton's speech was the first ever broadcast live to the citizens of Vietnam by a visiting foreign leader. Clinton is on a three day visit to Vietnam./Claro Cortes IV (Reuters)

A Vietnamese family watches the live broadcast of a speech by U.S. President Bill Clinton in their home in Ho Chi Minh City November 17, 2000. Clinton's speech from Hanoi University was the first by a non-Vietnamese to be broadcast live to the Vietnamese people. Clinton said Washington and Hanoi should build a new relationship and heal the wounds of war./Lou Dematteis (Reuters)

U.S. President Bill Clinton (R) and U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam Pete Peterson shake hands after Clinton gave Peterson the Presidential Citizen Medal November 17, 2000. Peterson, an Air Force Captain during the war, was shot down over Vietnam in 1966 and spent six years as a POW./Kevin Lamarque (Reuters)

Vietnamese folk entertainment perform for the First Family at Hanoi Opera House./ White House Photo Gallery

The President, First Lady and Chelsea applaud after watching a cultural performance at the Hanoi Opera House.  / White House Photo Gallery

U.S. President Bill Clinton (L) shakes hands with the General Secretary of the Vietnam Communist Party Le Kha Phieu before their meeting in Hanoi November 18, 2000. Clinton will fly to Ho Chi Minh City tonight and spend Sunday there before flying back to Washington./Kevin Lamarque (Reuters)

U.S. President Bill Clinton (L) and General Secretary of the Vietnam Communist Party Le Kha Phieu (R) meet through interpreters (C) in Hanoi November 18, 2000. Clinton will fly to Ho Chi Minh City tonight and spend Sunday there before flying back to Washington./Kevin Lamarque (Reuters)

President Clinton looks at a display showing where unexploded bombs and landmines have been located in civilian population areas in Vietnam. /White House Photo Gallery

Senator John Kerry (L) consoles Dave Evert while U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs Hershel Gober hugs Dan Evert during a visit to the Joint Task Force-Full Accounting excavation site in the village of Tien Chau, outside of Hanoi November 18, 2000. The Evert's are the sons former USAF Lieutenant Colonel Lawrence Evert whose fighter plane crashed while on a bombing mission 17 miles northwest of Hanoi on November 8, 1967./Gary Hershorn (Reuters)

First lady Hillary Rodham Clinton, left, and daughter Chelsea try on traditional conical hats in the Vietnamese village of Bac Phu Friday, Nov. 17, 2000. The Clintons visited rural Vietnam to observe microcredit projects which offer small loans to help rural women move out of poverty and subsistence farming and achieve a steady income. (AP Photo/David Guttenfelder)

President Clinton addresses officials and workers at an MIA excavation site where anthropologists are searching for the remains of Vietnam War fighter pilot Lt. Col. Lawrence Evert in a field in Tien Chau, Vietnam, Saturday, Nov. 18, 2000. Evert is believed to have been shot down over this field on November 8, 1967, on a bombing run of the nearby Phuc Yen railroad bridge. (AP Photo/David Guttenfelder)

Vi Le Peterson, wife of Pete Peterson, the U.S. ambassador to Vietnam, looks on as first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton addresses a women's forum Saturday, Nov. 18, 2000, in Hanoi.  Mrs. Clinton, New York's Senator-elect, was on hand to discuss women's issues and other subjects.  (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)

President Clinton talks with twin brothers Nguyen Duc Hoa, 12, left, and Nguyen Duc Huynh, both injured by a unexploded bomb in their home town of Dong Ha in Quang Tri province as he holds their hands during a de-mining ceremony Saturday, Nov. 18 2000, in Hanoi, Vietnam.  At the ceremony, Clinton called land mines ``the curse of innocent children all over the world.'' He said the United States will help remove them in Vietnam and other war zones in Africa and the Balkans.  (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
 

Lt. Col. Rennie Cory, center, shows President Clinton, left, and U.S Ambassador to Vietnam Pete Peterson, third left, and Vietnamese official Vu Khac Nhu, the remains of an American serviceman missing in action at a repatriation ceremony at Noi Bai airport in Hanoi Saturday, Nov. 18, 2000.  (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)

President Clinton, center, and U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam Pete Peterson look on as a final salute is given to the remains of an American serviceman missing in action during the Vietnam War at Noi Bai airport near Hanoi, Vietnam Saturday, Nov. 18, 2000. The repatriation ceremony marked the final stop on Clinton's visit to Hanoi before going on to Ho Chi Minh City.  (AP Photo/David Longstreath)

President Clinton pays respects to the remains of an American serviceman missing in action during the Vietnam War at Noi Bai airport near Hanoi, Vietnam, Saturday, Nov. 18, 2000. The repatriation ceremony marked the final stop on Clinton's visit to Hanoi before traveling to Ho Chi Minh City.  (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)

President Clinton and U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam Pete Peterson  look on as an American flag is draped over remains of a American serviceman missing in action during the Vietnam War at Noi Bai airport near Hanoi, Vietnam, Saturday, Nov. 18, 2000.  The repatriation ceremony marked the final stop on Clinton's visit to Hanoi before moving on to Ho Chi Minh City.  (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

Ho Chi Minh City

President Clinton, first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton, left, and daughter Chelsea, top, step down from Air Force One as they arrive at Tan Son Nhat airport in Ho Chi Minh City early Sunday, Nov. 19, 2000.  Despite the hour, thousands lined the route for his 15-minute drive from the airport, many waving, some cheering, as his motorcade swept by. (AP Photo/David Guttenfelder)

President Clinton, left, is mobbed by a crowd of people as visits downtown Ho Chi Minh, Sunday, Nov. 19, 2000. After a two-day visit to Hanoi where he nurtured long-bitter U.S. relations with Vietnam and heard the Community Party's version of the Vietnam War from the party's top leader, Clinton arrived in the city once known as Saigon to cheers of thousands of people who lined the streets. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

President Clinton, left, waves to a crowd of cheering Vietnamese as he visits downtown Ho Chi Minh City, Sunday, Nov 19, 2000. After a two-day visit to Hanoi where he nurtured long-bitter U.S. relations with Vietnam and heard the Community Party's version of the Vietnam War from the party's top leader, Clinton arrived in the city once known as Saigon to cheers of thousands of people who lined the streets. (AP Photo/David Guttenfelder)




President Clinton, center, and his daughter Chelsea, left, visit downtown Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, Sunday, Nov. 19, 2000. After a two-day visit to Hanoi where he nurtured long-bitter U.S. relations with Vietnam and heard the Community Party's version of the Vietnam War from the party's top leader, Clinton arrived in the city once known as Saigon to cheers of thousands of people who lined the streets .Others are not identified.(AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)



Vietnamese sales staff show Chelsea Clinton, daughter of President Clinton, locally made handbags at a shop in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, Sunday, Nov. 19, 2000. Chelsea is accompanying her father and mother Hillary on a historic trip to Vietnam, the first by a U.S. president in over 30 years. (AP Photo/David Guttenfelder)

First lady Hillary Rodham Clinton applauds the Ho Chi Minh Children's Club Choir during a visit to the municipal theater in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, Sunday, Nov. 19, 2000. The Clinton family is wrapping up their historic three-day visit to Vietnam, the first by an American president since the two countries were at war more than a quarter-century ago. (AP Photo/David Guttenfelder)

U.S. President Bill Clinton (upper left) poses with hotel workers at New World Hotel in Ho Chi Minh City,

A Vietnamese Communist flag unfurls behind President Clinton as he addresses a gathering at the Vietnam International Container Terminal Sunday, Nov. 19, 2000, in Ho Chi Minh City. After a two-day visit to Hanoi, Clinton arrived in the city once known as Saigon to cheers of thousands of people who lined the streets. (AP Photo/David Longstreath)

President Clinton is greeted by Vietnamese schoolchildren wearing bicycle helmets during his visit to an international container terminal in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, Sunday, Nov. 19, 2000. Providing children with bicycle helmets is part of a child safety program sponsored by the United States. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

President Clinton demonstrates bicycle helmet safety to school children at the Asian Injury Prevention Foundation Event / White House Photo Gallery

U.S. President Bill Clinton shakes hands with people in the crowd after speaking to the Vietnamese business community at the Vietnam International Container Terminal in Ho Chi Minh City November 19, 2000. Clinton is on the last day of his three-day visit to Vietnam./Larry Downing (Reuters)

  The President and Chelsea walk along the streets of Ho Chi Minh City and wave to awaiting crowds./ White House Photo Gallery
 

  The President’s limousine along the narrow roads of Ho Chi Minh City. /White House Photo Gallery

President Clinton, left, applauds Vo Viet Thanh, chairman of the People's Committee of Ho Chi Minh City, at the U.S.- Vietnam Business Forum held at City Hall on Sunday, Nov. 19, 2000.  President Clinton is wrapping up a historic three-day visit to Vietnam. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)



President Clinton, accompanied by first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton and daughter Chelsea, waves before boarding Air Force One at the end of their trip to Vietnam, in Ho Chi Minh City Sunday, Nov. 19, 2000. Clinton wrapped up a historic trip to heal old wounds and to continue economic cooperation between the two former battlefield enemies. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)