Vietnam was last night bracing itself for a new era in friendship with the United States on the eve of Douglas 'Pete' Peterson's arrival as Washington's first ambassador to Hanoi.
War veterans, resident American businessmen and government officials said expectations were high that Mr Peterson's arrival would rapidly improve still-frosty relations between the former enemies.
The prisoner-of-war turned congressman, lands at Hanoi's Noi Bai airport today for the start of an open-ended tour.
His arrival marks the last chapter in President Bill Clinton's thawing of relations with Hanoi after a 20-year freeze following the defeat of South Vietnam by communist forces in 1975.
Mr Peterson flew more than 60 bombing missions over North Vietnam during the war and spent more than six years in jails - including the notorious 'Hanoi Hilton' - after being shot down near Haiphong in 1966.
'This is terribly long overdue,' Fred Burke, chairman of the fledgling American Chamber of Commerce in Ho Chi Minh City, said.
