Only a decade ago, prior to establishing diplomatic relations in July 1995, the two sides were barely on talking terms. On June 21, however, Phan Van Khai will meet President George W Bush at the White House.

``Ten years is not a long period of time in history, but compared to what the two countries have done it is a meaningful period,'' said Chu Tuan Nha, chairman of the Vietnam-US Association. ``All aspects of bilateral cooperation have developed, expanded and lifted the relations to a new height.''

The first post-Vietnam War overtures were in the mid-1980s, when Washington sought to recover the bodies of US soldiers missing in action.

``It opened a lot of doors that would not have been opened otherwise,'' said a former senior US diplomat. ``Vietnam always supported the program.''

Following the signing of a bilateral trade agreement in December 2000, two-way trade has rocketed from US$1.5 billion (HK$11.7 billion) in 2001 to US$7 billion in 2004.

Washington is seen to hold the key to Hanoi's integrating with the world economy, and Khai dreams of returning from the trip with an entry ticket for the World Trade Organization.

In the political arena, Washington wants to boost security and anti-terror cooperation in the region.

``With the rise of China and India, Vietnam now is a kind of player that objectively the United States needs to engage,'' said Ton Nu Thi Ninh, vice-chairperson of the Vietnamese National Assembly's Committee on Foreign Relations.

In a development highly improbable a few years ago, the two sides are working on military tie-ups. Three US ships have called at Vietnam ports, and there have been defense ministerial visits.

Their armed forces, once at each other's throats, are now eyeing an accord that includes training exercises.

``We are developing an important and solid relationship with the People's Army of Vietnam, one that no doubt makes the region a more stable and secure place to live and do business in,'' said John Boardman, the US deputy chief of mission in Hanoi.

There are also contentious issues, including the consequences of Agent Orange, the defoliant that US forces used during the Vietnam War, and US concerns about human rights in Vietnam.

``Once we recognize that differences exist, we can find solutions and work around issues,'' said Douglas ``Pete'' Peterson, a former POW in Vietnam who became the first US ambassador in post-war Hanoi.

``We have to be careful not to settle on single issues.''

Khai is not likely to welcomed by many among one group of US citizens; Vietnamese Americans who fled at the end of the war in 1975.

But with them as well as with some others, the experts suggest, the Vietnamese leader has to try seduction. ``Personality counts more than policy,'' said Peterson. ``He has an opportunity to move forward the relationship simply by how he conducts himself.''

And as Khai readies for his journey, some Vietnamese-Americans were landing in the land of their birth.