WASHINGTON, June 19 (Xinhuanet) -- Vietnamese Prime Minister Phan Van Khai, the first Vietnamese leader to visit the United States since the end of the Vietnamese War, arrived in Seattle Sunday.

    The visit came 30 years after the United States pulled out its troops from Vietnam and 10 years after the two countries normalized relations during President Bill Clinton's administration.

    At a news conference in a hotel in downtown Seattle, Khai said Vietnam will continue working with the United States to strengtheneconomic ties.

    "This is the message I would like to convey to the people and the government of the United States during my visit," Khai told reporters. "I am willing to exchange views where the two sides still have differences."

    He is to meet executives from companies like Boeing and Microsoft in the Seattle area.

    Khai, 71, is due to meet Tuesday with US President George W. Bush at the White House seeking Bush's help in gaining Vietnam's admittance to the World Trade Organization.

    In addition to meeting Bush, Khai will also discuss military ties with US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. Khai is also expected to visit Boston and New York.

    Vietnam is expected to sign a contract to buy four Boeing 787 "Dreamliner" planes, worth around 500 million US dollars, during Khai's visit.

    In the 10 years since diplomatic ties were restored, the UnitedStates has become Vietnam's top trading partner. The two-way tradehas increased from 451 million dollars in 1995 to 6.4 billion dollars in 2004.

    Following a bilateral trade pact in 2001, the United States hasemerged as Vietnam's most crucial commercial partner. Vietnam's Trade Ministry says it expects 6.2 billion dollars of exports to the United States in 2005. Enditem