Title:
WAR LEGACY, DIPLOMACY AND RECONCILIATION IN VIETNAM-U.S. RELATIONS (2001-PRESENT): FROM TRAUMA TO MUTUAL UNDERSTANDING

Authors:
Tran Thi Ngoc Mai

Abstract:
This article examines the historic transformative process in Vietnam-U.S. relations, moving from war traumas to strategic mutual understanding, culminating in the establishment of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2023. Utilizing an interdisciplinary framework that integrates soft power, trauma and healing, and reconciliation theories, the study dissects "war legacy diplomacy" as the core mechanism for bilateral trust-building. By analyzing case studies such as the Vietnam Wartime Accounting Initiative (VWAI), unexploded ordnance (UXO) clearance in Quang Tri, and Dioxin remediation projects in Da Nang and Bien Hoa, the paper argues that cooperation in overcoming war legacies goes beyond humanitarian and environmental remediation to carry profound geopolitical weight. These initiatives mark a structural shift from asymmetrical obligations to reciprocal humanitarianism, thereby actualizing Vietnam's bamboo diplomacy and solidifying long-term U.S. commitments. The findings affirm that humanitarian and cultural diplomacy serve as the foundation helping both nations transcend the past, turning war legacies into a catalyst for peace and prosperity.

Keywords:
war legacy diplomacy, Vietnam-U.S. relations, soft power, trauma and healing, UXO and Dioxin remediation.

DOI:
https://doi.org/10.37500/IJESSR.2026.9418

Date of Publication: 17-08-2026