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In a historic first, Vietnamese General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong (left) meets with President Barack Obama in the Oval Office. White House photo by Pete Souza.
In a historic first, Vietnamese General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong (left) meets with President Barack Obama in the Oval Office. White House photo by Pete Souza.
This week, President Barack Obama and Vietnamese General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong met in the Oval Office as their countries marked a significant anniversary – 20 years of normalized diplomatic relations.

     On July 11, 1995, President Bill Clinton announced the normalization of diplomatic relations with Vietnam. Many could still remember the events of April 1975, when U.S. troops scurried to leave Saigon as Communist forces closed in, ending a war that had divided Americans.
     Normalization doesn't necessarily mean that all issues between the two countries had been resolved, but it does signal a desire to calm turbulent waters.
     One of the most well-known examples of normalization began in 1972 when President Richard Nixon visited Communist China. Full diplomatic relations between China and the U.S. took place in 1979 when Jimmy Carter was president. 
     More recently, Obama came under fire after announcing normalization of relations with Cuba – a move met with both praise and criticism within the Cuban-American community.
     In a nationally televised address on Dec. 17, 2014, Obama explained, “We will end an outdated approach that for decades has failed to advance our interests, and instead we will begin to normalize relations between our two countries. Through these changes, we intend to create more opportunities for the American and Cuban people and begin a new chapter among the nations of the Americas.”
     But how, in effect, does normalization change the dynamics between two countries?  Here is a rundown:

     Sources:

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