Between the end of the war in Vietnam in 1975 and US–Vietnam diplomatic normalization in 1995, governmental negotiations often fell into a stalemate despite people’s desire for improved relations. The delayed normalization bore the impacts of the Cold War politics and regional conflicts among Vietnam, Cambodia, and China. This chapter argues that the US policy toward Vietnam from 1975 to the early 1990s was ambiguous and perplexing and that it was ordinary citizens who laid the groundwork for rapprochement. Standing in contrast with governmental animosity were numerous American citizens, especially Vietnam veterans, diligently crossing the Pacific Ocean to help build schools and hospitals, to promote cultural and academic exchange, and to advocate for diplomatic normalization. While their governments’ diplomacy was founded on distrust and political calculations, these ordinary citizens built their relations on trust and compassion that transcended national or political boundaries.