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U.S., Vietnam forge new friendships

Nguyen Phu Trong, the head of Vietnam’s Communist Party, who comes to the United States this week, will be signing a deal with Boeing and visiting the White House.

DA NANG, Vietnam — The American and Vietnamese war veterans, former enemies, sat together at wooden picnic tables eating hamburgers and chili while Creedence Clearwater Revival played in the background.

Do Hung Luan, a former Viet Cong fighter who was imprisoned and tortured for nine years by America’s South Vietnamese allies, ate a burger and chicken wings with chopsticks.

Next to him was Nguyen Tien, whose wooden leg replaces the one he lost to U.