US and VIETNAM RESUME AIR TRAVEL

(Hanoi, Vietnam) For the first time since the end of the Vietnam War, the US and Vietnam have signed an agreement that would allow passenger and cargo flights between the two countries. In the complicated agreement signed today, it was not specified when the flights would begin but they could start by next spring.

The agreement was initialed in Hanoi by Pham Vu Hien, deputy director of Vietnam's Civil Aviation Administration, and Laura Faux-Gable, deputy director of the U.S. State Department's Office of Aviation Negotiations.

"This is the first agreement between our two countries," Faux-Gable said. "It is a really significant step that will bring major benefits not just to the economies of both countries but to many other travelers and businesses in the region."

This has to be considered a major step forward for trade and international relations. On the negative side, it will offer additional opportunities for terrorists to hijack American airliners.