U.S. President George W. Bush leaves today for an eight-day trip to Asia that will include his first-ever visit to Vietnam. The highlight of the trip is the Pacific Rim summit in Vietnam, where trade, terrorism and bird flu will dominate discussions, according to National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley. Hadley said Southeast Asia has an active terrorist presence with links to Al Qaeda. Bush s first visit to Vietnam comes as ties between the two countries are being tested by Congress failure to pass a bilateral trade agreement. The agreement was scheduled for a vote yesterday, and considered relatively uncontroversial, but Democrats some concerned about Vietnam s labor laws and human rights record blocked the agreement s passage. The move dismayed both the U.S. and Vietnamese administrations, but the blow to ties may be softened by the State Department s decision to remove Hanoi from a list of countries that violate religious freedom. En route to Vietnam, the president will make a stop in Moscow and Singapore. On his return home from Vietnam, the president will visit Indonesia and Hawaii.
