US President George W. Bush will meet Vietnamese Prime Minister Phan Van Khai at the White House on June 21, the White House said in a statement.

Phan Van Khai will be the most senior Vietnamese official to visit Washington since the two countries normalized their diplomatic relations in 1995, the statement said.

The scheduled talks between Bush and Phan, which will focus on bilateral and regional cooperation, "is particularly timely in light of Vietnams hosting of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meetings in 2006," the statement said.

US President Bill Clinton visited Vietnam in 2000. However, no leader of Vietnam has ever made an official visit to the United States since the Vietnam war ended in 1975.

US Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick visited Vietnam early this month.

(Xinhua News Agency May 28, 2005)