24 APRIL-MAY 2025 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL A COMPREHENSIVE STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP U.S.-Vietnam Ties at 30 Years ON THE U.S.-VIETNAM RELATIONSHIP The U.S. and Vietnam have developed a partnership that illustrates the value of professional diplomacy. BY MARC E. KNAPPER Marc E. Knapper is a member of the Senior Foreign Service of the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. ambassador to Vietnam. He most recently served as deputy assistant secretary for Korea and Japan from August 2018 to July 2021. Prior to assuming this position, he was chargé d’affaires ad interim in Seoul from 2017 to 2018 and deputy chief of mission from 2015 to 2016. Earlier assignments include director for India affairs, director for Japan affairs, and postings in Seoul, Baghdad, Tokyo, and Hanoi. Few moments better reflect the progress of U.S.-Vietnam relations than the largest peacetime deployment of U.S. military equipment to Vietnam since the war displayed at the 2024 Vietnam Defense Expo. Standing alongside U.S. Indo-Pacific Command Commander Admiral Sam Paparo, I underscored the U.S. commitment to supporting Vietnam in modernizing its defense force. Ensuring Vietnam has the capabilities needed to protect its interests at sea, in the air, on the ground, and in cyberspace, including in the South China Sea, provides security for the United States as part of our strategy to keep the Indo-Pacific free and open. At the conclusion of my remarks, hundreds of Vietnamese military, veterans, and members of the public lined up to take photos with visiting U.S. service members in front of the U.S. military equipment, which included a C-130J, two A-10 attack aircraft, a Stryker combat vehicle, and an M777 howitzer artillery piece. The public’s enthusiasm for bilateral collaboration was evident. This type of event would have been unimaginable just a few years ago, let alone when I served as the political chief here two decades ago. This moment, and so many others over the last year, have been a clear testament to the growth of the U.S.-Vietnam relationship, which is now a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP), the highest level of partnership in Vietnam’s diplomatic hierarchy. Ambitious Goals The progress in our bilateral relationship took decades of hard work, collaboration, and building on the success of past Mission Vietnam teams and my seven ambassadorial predecessors. Under the CSP framework, our two countries are addressing shared challenges and seizing opportunities in ways that make America stronger, safer, and more prosperous. With a population of more than 100 million individuals, 45 percent of whom are under 30, Vietnam has set ambitious goals for its economic development, many of which will benefit U.S. national security by ensuring reliable and sustainable supply chains. Education remains one of the strongest bridges between our nations. Vietnam ranks sixth in sending international FOCUS
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