Despite the lingering conflict between the government of Vietnam and the Vietnamese diaspora in the United States, issues of remittance and relationship relaxation between the refugees and Vietnamese government happened both in the 1990s. Recent years have seen the attitude-change of the returning diaspora and their shifting strategies of working in Vietnam. This paper describes the first step toward rapprochement between Vietnam and its diaspora in the United States, by analysing the attempts of Vietnam to approach its diaspora in the United States and the reactions of the diasporic community members. On the other hand, it also describes the efforts of Vietnamese Americans to empower Vietnamese people through philanthropic and civic engagement activities. The rapprochement via media and civic engagement reveals a shift from hard, intense ideological conflict to soft tactics in the transnational relation between Vietnam and the Vietnamese diaspora in the United States. This paper concludes that the process to rapprochement is still challenged by the significant differences in political views between the two sides. It suggests that the process of negotiation and conflict resolution be conducted with openness, honesty and acceptance of differences.

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This article explores the reciprocal relationship between Vietnam and its diaspora in the United States, and suggests that they have adopted a reconciliatory approach to promote development progress within the context of transnational interactions triggered by globalization. The diaspora acts reactively to the home state’s responses, but proactively to its capacity for effective communication and negotiation. Conversely, the home state at first acts reactively toward transnational interactions and then gradually adopts expatriate-oriented policies to proactively steer diaspora engagement for development impacts. Reciprocal interactions help to expand the scope of diaspora engagement from low- to high-level transnational practices, which go beyond income-based and material supports and center on social development aiming to improve the wellbeing of every individual in Vietnamese society. These reactions may also push for further policy change in the home country and result in improved institutional conditions in which deeper contributions of the diaspora could be expected for the consolidation of peace and development in a post-conflict society.