Article: Former POW scoring big in Hanoi First U.S. ambassador since Vietnam War makes strides bridging cultures, history

If diplomacy at times is a matter of grace under pressure, Hanoi's frenzied and unforgiving streets are the perfect testing ground. For Pete Peterson, America's first ambassador to communist Vietnam, it's a challenge to embrace. Away from the decorum of his embassy office, Peterson recently chose to take diplomacy to the streets of Hanoi.

A bit wobbly at first with white-knuckled fists clenched around rubber-gripped handlebars, Peterson and his fiancee Saigon-born Australian diplomat Vi Le were spotted on a Honda motorbike touring the city Vietnamese-style.

"It's the way to see the city, to meet the people," Peterson said during a later lunch at the city's popular Indochine restaurant. ...

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