Knapper expects more fruitful results in Vietnam - US relations in 2023

Ambassador Knapper said this year marked the first busy period during his working term in Vietnam. Both countries came together to obtain a range of great achievements, including conducting fruitful meetings and exchanges between leaders of the two countries.

In May, Vietnam became one of 14 founding members of the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF), with the US expecting the Vietnamese side to make a practical contribution to the efforts of building a strong supply chain, ramping up governance, and enhancing its resilience to climate change.

In October, at the invitation of the Vietnamese Government, the first group of US volunteers of the Peace Corps arrived in Vietnam, fulfilling a long-term goal of partnering with the Vietnamese people, cultivating the understanding of the Vietnamese people in the spirit of innovation, sensitivity, and respect for culture, as well as sharing US culture with open hearts and minds.

This event represented an important milestone in the bilateral relationship, which has been built on the foundation of developing people-to-people ties over the past decades, Ambassador Knapper emphasised.

The diplomat noted the US side continues to fulfill its commitments to solve pending post-war problems through making new dioxin pollution remediation efforts, demining, and improving quality, as well as the accessibility of healthcare services for people with disabilities.

The US will also continue its efforts to provide security assistance to Vietnam, said Ambassador Knapper, adding that this year has seen the US train nearly 2,000 Vietnamese law enforcement and justice experts, and complete the construction of two training facilities.

The US also built new schools and health stations in rural localities, thereby providing local people with more space to study, receive health care, and work as evacuation places in case of emergency.

The US donated five ventilators and medical equipment, and installed liquid oxygen systems in 13 hospitals, to help fight COVID-19 and other diseases.

The US diplomat also acknowledged that education co-operation has yielded positive results over the years. Vietnam currently ranked fifth among international students communities studying in the US.

The two sides are also working closely as part of efforts to combat climate change. In June, the US launched a US$36 million project which seeks to accelerate Vietnamese clean energy transition and promote the implementation of the zero net emissions commitment made by Vietnam at the 26th UN Conference on Climate Change (COP 26).

According to the US Ambassador, both sides are about to celebrate the 10th anniversary of their comprehensive partnership in 2023. The amazing results of cooperation in various fields are testament to the fact that both sides are working strategically together to solve the most pressing issues.

“I am looking forward to new gains that we will achieve together in 2023,” said the US diplomat.