ABSTRACT
United States (US) and Vietnam signed a bilateral trade and investment treaty and opened the door to the possibility of full economic normalization—a long way from the US-led international trade embargo against Vietnam that started in 1975. Engaging with postwar Vietnam diplomatically and economically serves the same purpose as military intervention during the conflict. The rhetoric of the Vietnam War was containment. Vietnam, despite the military defeat, was a demonstration of US credibility and resolve in the larger global struggle against communism. The South Vietnamese fought the war and sought US help because they believed in the same principles of freedom and democracy for which America was the beacon. In 1986, prompted by the withdrawal of foreign aid by a Soviet Union undergoing perestroika, Vietnam began a fitful effort at market reforms. The US Vietnam trade agreement would serve American business interests by opening up a market of 80 million people to more liberalized trade and investment.
