The United States' relationship with Vietnam has come a long way in the 10 years since President Bill Clinton took steps to restore relations between the former bitter enemies.

The United States has become Vietnam's top trading partner and strongly supports the Southeast Asia nation's bid to join the World Trade Organization. Military ties between the two countries include plans for U.S. military training of Vietnamese officers, intelligence sharing and cooperation on counterterrorism measures.

U.S. warships dock in Vietnam periodically.

A new era in regard to cooperation on adoptions has begun with the signing of an agreement at the State Department.

Meanwhile, Microsoft Corp., which has an office in Vietnam, has signed memoranda of understanding to train and develop more Vietnamese information technology companies and to offer computer and software training to more than 50,000 teachers.

This month's visit by Vietnamese Prime Minister Phan Van Khai would have been regarded as unthinkable 35 years ago by Americans who had become accustomed to the daily images and casualty reports from the Vietnam jungle battlefields. Photos of America's evacuation from South Vietnam as North Vietnamese forces took control seemed to portend a permanent chasm between Vietnam and the United States - speculation that has been proven wrong.

To many Americans who were not directly involved with the war, the Vietnam conflict might seem like ancient history. Judging from the U.S.-Vietnam relationship that has evolved, many Americans currently are reflecting on whether that war was necessary at all.

Indeed, some people of this country might be wondering how Americans 30 or 40 years from now will be looking back on what currently is transpiring in Iraq - and how leaders such as George W. Bush will be judged at that time.

Amid all of the developments, considerations and hopeful prospects regarding Vietnam, the Vietnamese prime minister's U.S. visit propped onto center stage two issues of unfinished business that must remain important in the eyes of the United States. Those issues are the Americans who remain missing from the Vietnam War and improvement in Vietnam's human-rights record.

America must continue to push Vietnam for the fullest possible accounting of the MIAs. Progress has been made on the MIA front, but not nearly as much as would seem to be possible.

Vietnam must halt its arrests of dissidents who promote democracy or human rights, including calling a halt to religious persecution.

To those familiar with the Vietnam of today as compared with the Vietnam of three or four decades ago - a pocket of war - it is clear what a peaceful branching-out to the world can achieve.

The Middle East is a different "can of worms" from what Vietnam once was, but it is to be hoped that all of the nations of that region will someday conquer the forces that are keeping them from being players in a more peaceful and prosperous planet.