US - Viet Nam Relations

U.S. Ambassador Marc Knapper attends the program "Dialogue with Leaders: Women and Youth actively leading Communications efforts to prevent Human Trafficking."

Ambassador Knapper arrived in Vietnam on January 27, 2022, and formally presented his diplomatic credentials on February 11, 2022. During his tenure, bilateral relations reached an unprecedented level when the United States and Vietnam upgraded their ties to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2023, elevating the relationship to the highest tier in Vietnam’s diplomatic framework.

Throughout his assignment, Ambassador Knapper actively promoted cooperation across all major pillars of the bilateral partnership, delivering tangible benefits to both nations. Cooperation expanded substantially in high-technology trade, investment, and infrastructure development, while defense, law enforcement, and security ties were significantly strengthened. The two countries also deepened collaboration in public health, education, people-to-people exchanges, and disaster relief.

U.S Ambassador Marc Knapper attends the signing ceremony of a commitment letter foor a 300 million loan between VPBank and the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC).

Addressing the legacies of war remained a central component of bilateral engagement during Ambassador Knapper’s tenure. The United States and Vietnam continued close cooperation on dioxin remediation, unexploded ordnance clearance, assistance for persons with disabilities, and accounting for missing service members from both countries.

The year 2025 saw a series of events and activities across Vietnam commemorating the 30th anniversary of U.S.–Vietnam diplomatic relations, highlighting both the progress achieved and the forward-looking trajectory of the partnership. During this period, Ambassador Knapper also oversaw the groundbreaking of the new U.S. Embassy compound in Hanoi’s Cau Giay District, a project widely regarded as a symbol of the growing depth and long-term future of U.S.–Vietnam relations.

Reflecting on his time in Vietnam, Ambassador Knapper described his service as a defining honor of his career. He noted that from his first posting in Hanoi between 2004 and 2007 to his most recent role as Ambassador, he had witnessed and contributed to the remarkable evolution of bilateral relations. He emphasized the lasting impression made by Vietnam’s culture and dynamism, as well as his interactions with people from all walks of life, including government officials, students, healthcare workers, farmers, business leaders, and entrepreneurs. Ambassador Knapper expressed pride in the achievements of the U.S. Mission in strengthening bilateral ties and underscored Vietnam’s enduring significance to him and his family.

U.S Ambassador Marc Knapper takes part in efforts to search for the remains of missing U.S. service members and address war legacy issue in 2023.

A career diplomat with more than 30 years of service in the U.S. Department of State, Ambassador Knapper is a member of the Senior Foreign Service. His previous assignments include serving as Political Counselor at the U.S. Embassy in Vietnam from 2004 to 2007. His honors include the Secretary of State’s Distinguished Service Award, the highest diplomatic award of the United States, as well as a Presidential Meritorious Service Award and the Department of State’s Linguist of the Year Award.

Ambassador Knapper graduated summa cum laude from Princeton University and pursued further studies at the University of Tokyo. He is fluent in Korean, Japanese, and Vietnamese.