Congratulating Ambassador Knapper on a successful tenure marked by a range of positive outcomes, the President reviewed several key developments in bilateral ties during the ambassador’s posting, including the upgrade of relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, the highest level in Vietnam’s foreign policy framework.

He hailed the ambassador’s contributions to maintaining effective, stable and increasingly substantive cooperation on the basis of respect for each other’s independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity and political systems, as well as mutual benefit.

The Vietnamese State leader also expressed his appreciation for the affection Ambassador Knapper has shown for the country, its people and culture, and thanked the US Government and Embassy for providing more than US$2 million in assistance to Vietnamese localities affected by natural disasters over the past year. He described the support as a timely humanitarian gesture showing the goodwill and solidarity of the US Government and people toward the Vietnamese people in difficult times.

On cooperation in dealing with war legacy issues, the President said this remains a highlight of bilateral relations and carries particular importance in building trust, boosting reconciliation and strengthening mutual understanding. He acknowledged Ambassador Knapper’s sustained efforts and called on both sides to continue expanding cooperation in this field.

On the occasion, President Luong Cuong reaffirmed that Vietnam consistently pursues an independent and self-reliant foreign policy of multilateralization and diversification, and stands as a friend, a reliable partner, and an active and responsible member of the international community.

Vietnam attaches importance to relations with the US and seeks to expand cooperation in a more substantive and in-depth manner across a wide range of areas, including political and diplomatic affairs, economics and trade, security and defence, education, people-to-people exchanges, science and technology, humanitarian cooperation, and post-war recovery, in line with the two countries’ potential and the interests of their peoples.

Ambassador Knapper agreed with the President’s assessments of bilateral relations and shared his pride and satisfaction at having witnessed and contributed to the increasingly substantive development of Vietnam-US ties.

Knapper expressed confidence that the Vietnam-US Comprehensive Strategic Partnership will continue to grow and remain a model in international relations for reconciliation, putting the past behind and looking toward the future.

He also affirmed that, in whatever capacity, he will remain a friend of Vietnam and continue contributing to the development of bilateral relations at the bilateral, regional and international levels.

Ambassador highlights 2025 as remarkable year for Vietnam–US relations

2025 was an incredibly significant year for Vietnam-US relations, marked by a series of major anniversaries and substantive advances across multiple areas of cooperation, US Ambassador to Vietnam Marc E. Knapper said in a recent interview with the Vietnam News Agency.