Marc Knapper: US and Vietnam to boost war legacies, trade, region security

US Ambassador to Vietnam Marc Knapper said his country and Vietnam have been working together to address war legacies, expand bilateral trade, maintain regional peace and stability and that the bonds between the two peoples are strong and growing.

Knapper, the 8^th US ambassador to Vietnam, highlighted the issues during his greeting speech in Vietnamese published by the US Embassy in Hanoi on February 12.

Even the challenges of a global pandemic have only brought the two nations together, Knapper stated.

"I'm thrilled to be here and work with our Vietnamese friends in support of a strong, prosperous, and independent Vietnam," the ambassador said in the message. 

The message was released just one day after he presented the credentials to President Nguyen Xuan Phuc.

Knapper, who can speak Vietnamese, served in Vietnam during 2004-2007. He is a member of the Senior Foreign Service of the US Department of State, serving as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Korea and Japan since August 2018. Prior to assuming this position, Marc was in Seoul as Chargé d'Affaires from 2017 to 2018 and Deputy Chief of Mission from 2015 to 2016.  Earlier assignments include Director for India Affairs, Director for Japanese Affairs, and multiple postings in Tokyo, Seoul, Hanoi, and Baghdad. Marc has twice worked in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea in 1997 and 2000.

Marc is a recipient of the Secretary of State's Distinguished Service Award, the nation's highest diplomatic honor. Marc has also received a Presidential Meritorious Service Award and the Department of State's Linguist of the Year Award.

The US Department of State described him as an excellent candidate to be the US Ambassador to Vietnam as he has spent almost his entire career, spanning over 25 years, working on the policy issues of the East Asian region and studying its languages and culture. He speaks Vietnamese and for three years led the political section of the US Embassy in Hanoi. This extensive and substantive experience in the region, coupled with his demonstrated ability to lead large interagency teams as well as policy-oriented offices.

Vietnam and the US have normalized the relations in 1995. It is now comprehensive strategic relations and expected to be elevated to strategic partnership status in the near future.