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Saturday, May 23, 1998
Heat Fails To Wilt Vietnam Wedding
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PREV STORY NEXT STORY RELATED FOREIGN STORIES FROM AP TIMES NATION & WORLD NEWS  THE WIRE
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 ANOI, Vietnam--When U.S. Ambassador Pete Peterson and new wife Vi Le completed their weekend of nuptials today, they were the only ones who looked cool on one the hottest days of the year.
Guests fanned themselves as the wedding candles melted before they were lit. Sweat poured down the faces of the photographers and cameramen who recorded what was the social event of the season in Hanoi. Their marriage at the Roman Catholic cathedral also represented a healing between the United States and Vietnam: Peterson is a former prisoner of war, and his bride is a Vietnamese native. The Rev. Nguyen Van Thai said the marriage was "a great encouragement to us," as the ultimate sign of reconciliation. Le was raised abroad and now is an Australian citizen. Peterson spent 6 1/2 years imprisoned and tortured after his F/4 Phantom was shot down over the former North Vietnam. About 200 people were invited to a civil ceremony and dinner Friday night. The same size crowd showed up today at the century-old, Gothic-style Grand Cathedral near the city center. A red carpet led all the way from the street to the altar. Nearly everyone was soaked with sweat by the time the Vietnam National Symphony Orchestra finished Beethoven's Symphony No. 7. Vivaldi's "Four Seasons" followed as Le walked down the aisle. Peterson is a 62 -year-old widower who took up his post a year ago as the first U.S. ambassador to Vietnam since relations were normalized. He met Le, 41, a commercial officer for the Australian Embassy, at a cocktail party at the Israeli Embassy shortly after he took up his position.
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Copyright Los Angeles Times
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