U.S. House of Representatives passed a package of trade bills Friday night that includes a measure granting Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR) to Vietnam.

The Vietnam trade bill, rejected by representatives last month, narrowly approved by a 212-184 vote.

"This legislation is about more than economics ... This legislation is about working together with Vietnam to heal the wounds of the war," said Connecticut Republican Rob Simmons, a Vietnam veteran, during debate.

House passage would set the stage for an expected vote in Senate late this moth and create possibility that President George W. Bush could sign the bill by the end of this year.

The Vietnam trade bill was supported by U.S. business executives who are anxious to get into Asia's best-performing economy after China. With a population of 84 million, it also is the second most populous country behind Russia still outside the WTO.

The WTO formally approved Vietnam as a fresh member in November, nearly 12 years after the Southeast Asian country began accession negotiations.

Immediately after the approval in the WTO, U.S. Trade Representative Susan Schwab called on lawmakers to quickly approve legislation normalizing trade relations with the Southeast Asian country.

"The United States is very pleased by today's action in Geneva and welcomes Vietnam into the international trade community. The world will benefit from the inclusion of this rapidly-growing, dynamic economy in the rules-based trading system," said Schwab in a statement.

But the House rejected the bill on Nov. 13, leaving President Bush empty-handed when he later met with Vietnamese leaders in Hanoi.