In his first official exchange with the Vietnamese press, on April 20 in Hanoi, US Ambassador Marc Knapper expressed his joy at being able to witness the remarkable changes of Vietnam in general and Hanoi in particular over the past 15 years.
He was also impressed by the sharp increase in the number of US visitors to Vietnam and the sharp increase in the number of Vietnamese students in the US before the COVID-19 pandemic.
US Ambassador Marc Knapper speaking at a press conference in Hanoi (Photo: baoquocte.vn)
However, what most impressed Ambassador Marc Knapper was that after 15 years, the warmth, hospitality, friendliness and sincerity of the Vietnamese people for him and his wife are still intact.
The veteran diplomat said that he has spent the past 3 months reacquainting himself with Vietnam through a series of meetings with Party and Government leaders, business representatives and scholars. He has gone to Ho Chi Minh City four times, visited Can Tho and Hai Phong city, trying to learn more about Vietnam, and seeking orientation to further promote the relationship between the two countries today.
U.S. Ambassador Marc Knapper emphasized that over the past time, the relations between the two countries have developed in all aspects, from politics, economy, trade, people-to-people exchanges and culture, and this will be continued in the future. He himself could not have imagined the current achievements in bilateral relations 15 years ago when he was still working in Hanoi.
According to Ambassador Marc Knapper, one of the important foundations of the bilateral relationship between Vietnam and the US is solving post-war problems: dioxin decontamination, mine and explosive clearance, searching for missing remains of people from both sides during the war, building trust, reconciling, and building a way to be able to move into the future.
"The reason the bilateral relationship is there is the dedication and efforts to build trust and goodwill of many generations of leaders, diplomats, scholars and people of the two countries over the past three decades. Benefiting from the achievements of my predecessors and previous generations, I will continue to promote cooperation and trust between the two countries, which is an important task,” US Ambassador to Vietnam Marc Knapper emphasized.
At the same time, he said that the priority during his term is to upgrade the relations of the two countries. The Ambassador had many discussions with representatives of the Government, localities, and businesses about how to develop relations in this direction.
According to the Ambassador, it has been nearly 10 years since the two countries established a comprehensive partnership. Meanwhile, further strengthening the bilateral relationship, moving to a new level is not only his personal priority, but that of the US government. During the visit to Vietnam in 2021, US Vice President Kamala Haris emphasized her desire to strengthen ties between the two countries.
"If the priority becomes true, it will not only define the current relationship accurately, but also open up opportunities for deeper and more comprehensive cooperation between the two sides in many fields: politics - security, economy and energy," said Ambassador Marc Knapper./.