On Sunday, August 6, 1995, the U.S. Embassy opened in Hanoi. We were fortunate to be among the handful of Americans to witness this event. We were celebrities for sure – interviewed by NBC News and the AP.
Security was tight. We had to show our U.S. passports to be allowed inside.
Remember your U.S. history. Warren Christopher was the Secretary of State at the time and he was the diplomat who spoke at the opening.
Here he is with the Vietnamese Foreign Minister.

It was truly moving to be there and see the American flag flying on Vietnamese soil. How symbolic of the joining of our lives, our nationalities, into one family.
We enjoyed the ceremony and all the pomp and circumstance. It was good to feel “American” again, too, as we were getting a little homesick by this point.

After the ceremony, we hurried out, hoping to shake Mr. Christopher’s hand and get on T.V. so our families could see us (no Skype in those days!). We were pushed back so the Vietnamese could be in front. Their reasoning? “You can see Mr. Christopher anytime you want.” Yeah, we live next door to him. We’re old pals! We did see ourselves, very briefly, on CNN International that night. But we knew where to look.
A few more pictures of the U.S. Embassy in Hanoi. How proud we are to have been a part of history.