US Ambassador to Vietnam Daniel Kritenbrink in an interview with CPV Online News (Photo: P.H)
Reporter: In comments to press right after taking office, you mentioned that this is a “perfect time” for you to work in Vietnam. How has this “perfect time” been realized so far?
Ambassador Daniel J. Kritenbrink: It has been fantastic actually. It is a tremendous honor for me to be the U.S Ambassador in Vietnam. I often say that Vietnam is one of our most important relationships in the world. So I have the honor of working to expand this relationship. I have been here for four months and it has been quite busy. During that time, we have had important visits like US President Donald Trump last November, US Secretary of Defense James Mattis in Janua and most recently the visit by USS aircraft carrier Carl Vinson to Da Nang city on March 5th. Right before Tet, there was also a phone call between US President Donald Trump and Vietnam State President Tran Dai Quang which reaffirmed their shared commitment to strengthening the US - Vietnam Comprehensive Partnership. So, you can see the high-level engagement between the leaders of our two countries is on an unprecedented level and our cooperation is stronger than ever.
Personally speaking, my family and I are so happy to be here. I am here with my wife and my two children, Mia and Joe. Everywhere we go, people are so welcoming, and it’s the warmth that we really appreciate. So both professionally and personally, I couldn’t be happier to be here.
Reporter: 2017 witnessed many important events in the US - Vietnam relationship, one of which was the visit of US President Donald Trump to Vietnam last November. How do you evaluate its results and impacts on the bilateral relationship?
Ambassador Daniel J. Kritenbrink: President Trump’s visit was a tremendous success. The US President was happy with everything on the ground and I believe that our Vietnamese partners were happy with the outcome as well.
It is a case for success for a several reasons. First of all, the US President travelled to Da Nang city, participated in APEC, and gave a very important speech at the APEC CEO summit on the US’s Indo-Pacific strategy. In that speech, the President laid out very clearly that the US is committed to peace, security, stability, and prosperity in the Indo - Pacific region and we are working to develop strong and independent partners.
During his State visit to Hanoi, President Donald Trump had very productive meetings with all Vietnam’s top leaders, including Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, State President Tran Dai Quang and Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc.
If you want to see all the great things that have been achieved during the visit, let’s look at the bilateral press conferences between US and Vietnam Presidents or the joint statements. You will see that the bilateral cooperation in the US - Vietnam Comprehensive Partnership is now at an unprecedented broad level, in trade, security, people-to-people relations, war legacies issues, and so on.
I think it is tremendous what our two countries are able to do together, and we share common interests that will further advance our partnership to new heights.
Reporter: In your opinion, what opportunities and challenges are US - Vietnam relations facing now?
Ambassador Daniel J. Kritenbrink: Opportunities far outweigh challenges, for sure. It is thanks to the positive momentum as I mentioned above. Our security cooperation will continue to expand because we have common interests in a peaceful and stable Indo - Pacific region, including the East Sea.
We are also supporting Vietnam’s first peace-keeping deployment in South Sudan. So, I think we will continue to see the bilateral security cooperation on the rise. Meanwhile, our economic and trading relationship obviously remains incredibly important. Vietnam was the US’ fastest growing export market in 2016. Trade has increased considerably during the last years, and virtually all major American companies are doing business in Vietnam. Overall, optimism is what I think about the future of our partnership, despite a few challenges.
Reporter: Speaking of maritime security, could you share your viewpoint as the US ambassador to Vietnam towards the East Sea disputes, which have drawn great international attention so far?
Ambassador Daniel J. Kritenbrink: The US has three pillars in its maritime strategy in the region, including the East Sea. The first pillar involves diplomatic efforts to promote a rule-based order and peaceful resolution of disputes in the East Sea. We are working together with our like-minded partners in the region, including countries in ASEAN such as Vietnam.
The second pillar focuses on developing the capacity of our partners in the region, including countries like Vietnam, Malaysia, India, the Philippines, and others, so that all countries can contribute to the regional peace and security. They can understand what is happening in the maritime domain and take steps to advance and protect their interests, which we think will contribute to the regional stability.
The third pillar involves US military operations. We can demonstrate that the US and all countries can freely navigate anywhere international laws allow.
We hope that this three-pillar strategy will help maintain peace and stability, freedom of navigation, and free flow of commerce in the East Sea and that’s in our common interests.
Reporter: As a diplomat with diverse experience in handling Asian affairs, you definitely have many advantages. How do you intend to take advantage of these strengths in your diplomatic mission in Vietnam?
Ambassador Daniel J. Kritenbrink: I have had the privilege of living most of my adult life in Asia, specifically in Japan and China. When I used to work at the National Security Council, I was responsible for the entire Asia - Pacific region. During that time, I had the chance to work very closely with Vietnamese partners. I hope as ambassador that I can leverage that regional experience, understand what our shared objectives are in the region, what common challenges we are facing, and hopefully build on our relationship and work with our Vietnamese friends to promote our partnership to the next level.
US Ambassador Daniel Kritenbrink confirms that opportunities far outweigh challenges in Vietnam - US relations (Photo: P.H)
Reporter: Can you share with us the top priorities during your term in Vietnam? In other words, what areas would you like to focus your efforts on during your diplomatic mission here?
Ambassador Daniel J. Kritenbrink: Here is how I would summarize what American objectives and America’s primary policy is with our Vietnamese partners.
We want to be your partner of choice in supporting the development of a strong, prosperous and independent Vietnam. That’s our goal because we believe not only the US and Vietnam, but the entire region is stronger if we have a network of partners who are all strong, successful, independent, and growing with happy people enjoying lives in a secure environment. So, that is our fundamental priority that drives everything we do.
Specifically, there are some top priorities: 1) security, 2) economics and trade, 3) humanitarian and legacyof war issues, and 4) people-to-people ties. However, these do not represent everything we do here because we also do great work on health, environment, energy, and much more.
On security issues, we cooperate on maritime issues and international issues of common concern. We work to develop the capacity of our Vietnamese partners - the Vietnamese Coast Guard for example.
On trade, we are looking forward to developing free, fair, and reciprocal trade with Vietnam. Many of America’s leading companies are investing here in Vietnam, creating thousands of jobs, helping the economy develop. That kind of beneficial investment and two-way trade helps us both.
On people-to-people ties, our relations are incredibly strong. There are some 30,000 Vietnamese students studying in the US. We also have over 1,000 American students here as well. We hope to see more students studying in both countries as exchange students, and more tourists coming to the US and Vietnam to travel.
We also continue to work on legacy of war issues like the fullest possible accounting of mission personnel, unexploded ordnance, and dioxin remediation.
These are just a few examples. As I mentioned earlier, we focus on the future - things we can do together. We still spend a great deal of time and effort to make sure that we address issues in the past. The more we interact, the more we understand each other, and the stronger our relationship will be.
Reporter: How was your first Tet in Vietnam? What has impressed you the most during the Tet holiday?
Ambassador Daniel J. Kritenbrink: I was impressed by a few things. First of all, we had a great Banh chung (sticky rice cake) making event. That was really wonderful. As I mentioned earlier, it was very complex, and I was asking questions like how could people learn how to make this. The only conclusion I could reach is that it took thousands of years of knowledge and drawing on your great and rich culture.
Another thing I love about Tet is that it is time for family reunion. It was so wonderful to see people celebrate Tet with their families, and that really moved us.
During the Tet holiday, I had the chance to take my family to Hoi An, a beautiful city - one of the most beautiful places I have been. In the coming time, there will be more activities that are similar to Banh chung making event, and I hope through activities like that, I can learn more about Vietnam, Vietnamese people, and your great culture.
Reporter: Thank you very much!