On a political level, it is clear that both the Americans and the Vietnamese have an interest in moving past the long ago war and strengthening areas of cooperation. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the normalization of formal diplomatic relations between the United States and Vietnam and the relationship is rapidly developing.

But China’s growing economic role in Vietnam has faced a backlash which intensified after Beijing last year parked an oil rig in waters Hanoi also claims. Since then, China has sought to win over neighbors with pledges of development funds, and bills a new Asian development bank as a consensus-based approach to aid.

One key legacy of Vietnam was growth of anti-Americanism which undercut US prestige and soft power. This legacy is important for US policy today as the country continues to recover from the unpopularity of the Iraq War.

In 1995, the U.S. and Vietnam established diplomatic relations. Now, as the Ambassador of Vietnam to the U.S., I find Americans focused on the future and what we can accomplish together, from creating jobs through trade to building mutual understanding through education.

The forum is being organized in three sessions, discussing three topics: Vietnam-RoK relations - economic and foreign affairs co-operation; the Korean Peninsula and regional political situation, and bilateral cultural issues.

The United States will spend some $10 million on UXO efforts this year, part of a diplomatic offensive on a former enemy that includes health and education programs, a soft power campaign for a new Asian alliance to offset China's regional influence.

Japan and South Korea are building on a long interest in a country notable for its cheap labour and 90m-strong consumer market. From Hanoi’s point of view, there is a political imperative to draw more foreign investment because of structural economic problems such as bad debts and inefficient state companies, which have dragged Vietnam’s growth down from above 7 per cent a year before the western financial crisis to 5.4 per cent in 2013.

Enjoying steady bilateral relations since diplomatic ties were established after the Vietnam War in 1976, the Philippines and Vietnam are now engaging in high-level dialogues to try to establish a strategic partnership.