It was a moment that seemed to shatter the United States’ aura of invincibility. April 30th, 1975 saw scenes of desperation at the US embassy amid the final pullout of US forces from Vietnam and the takeover of victorious Communist forces from the north. Who knew then that Hanoi and Washington would seal reconciliation thanks to booming trade?

When, during a 2016 visit, then-president Barack Obama celebrated Vietnam's storied street food in a six-dollar dinner with celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain, it seemed that the pendulum had swung for good.

But now come Donald Trump's tariffs and Washington's ire at a China-plus-one policy of outsourcing manufacturing to neighbours on the cheap. Beijing's leader Xi Jinping recently paid his respects at Ho Chi Minh's mausoleum outside Hanoi while on a regional tour.

Back then, it was the Cold War. Today, what's Vietnam's position on the past and the current superpower showdown?

Produced by Rebecca Gnignati, Ilayda Habib and Aurore Laborie.