No one, however, should attempt to make this three-day visit a referendum on the war or on the choices that members of my generation made about serving in it. Many of us who fought came to differ over the wisdom of prolonged U.S. involvement. But our country has moved beyond that debate. Clinton's visit will - and should - focus on the future and the new relationship Vietnam and the United States are building.

In the American consciousness, Vietnam finally is not just a war, but a country. For nearly 20 years after American troops were lifted out of Saigon, the Vietnam War took a less bloody but equally hostile form. The U.S. and Vietnam had no diplomatic relations. Vietnamese assets were frozen. Trade was embargoed. Lingering bitterness and divisions among Americans precluded any initiatives that would change the status quo. From the American perspective, only one issue was open to discussion: the fate of Americans missing in Vietnam. But with the end of the Cold War, the possibility of opening a dialogue with Vietnam on that central - and pivotal issue - became real.

Reagan took the first step President Reagan cracked open the door in 1987, when he sent a special emissary to Hanoi to begin discussions on the POW/MIA issue. Clinton's visit marks the culmination of that effort. Many steps in between helped dispel the lingering bitterness in both countries, among them the growing Vietnamese cooperation on the POW/MIA issue; the Vietnam Fulbright Program that brings Vietnamese citizens here to study; Clinton's decisions, supported by Congress, to lift the U.S. trade embargo in 1994 and to normalize diplomatic relations with Vietnam in 1995; and the recently concluded bilateral trade agreement -- to name just a few.

As a result of all of these efforts, the relationship between the two countries today is very different from what it was just a decade ago. Not only are there full diplomatic relations, but Vietnam is becoming a popular tourist stop for Americans. Vietnamese citizens study at U.S. universities, and American professors teach economics in Vietnam. Many veterans are taking the emotional journey back to Vietnam. U.S. veterans' organizations are working with their Vietnamese counterparts to help Vietnamese families learn about their lost loved ones. Although somewhat disenchanted by the slowdown in Vietnam's economic-reform process, U.S. businesses anticipate the opportunities that can flow from the countries' trade agreement.

Bipartisanship is key These strides have been possible because of the determination to move forward shown by Clinton and his immediate predecessors, the bipartisan support in Congress and Vietnam's cooperation.

That is why Clinton's trip to Vietnam is too important to dwell on the past. Our country has a broad range of interests in Vietnam and Southeast Asia: obtaining the fullest possible accounting of still-missing Americans; promoting stability and economic growth in Southeast Asia; countering Chinese influence; promoting democratic freedoms and principles and respect for human rights in the region; and working for economic reform and modernization. To promote these interests effectively, we must have a normal, working relationship with Vietnam.

The two countries are building precisely that relationship. Clinton's visit gives both nations an important opportunity to do that by focusing on the future and leaving the past behind.

Sen. John F. Kerry, D-Mass., a Navy officer on a gunboat in the Mekong Delta during the Vietnam War, received a Silver Star, Bronze Star and three Purple Hearts. He later was a leader of Vietnam Veterans Against the War and co-founder of Vietnam Veterans of America.