Vietnam awards Friendship Order to US ambassador

Authorized by State President Luong Cuong, Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Hoai Trung presented the Friendship Order to Ambassador Knapper at a formal ceremony.

The award is one of Vietnam's highest honors for foreign individuals and organizations that have made outstanding contributions to promoting friendship, solidarity, and cooperation between Vietnam and other countries.

The decision to honor Ambassador Knapper reflects the appreciation of Vietnam's leaders and people for his role in fostering, consolidating, and deepening bilateral ties between Vietnam and the United States throughout his term in Hanoi.

Following the ceremony, Trung received Knapper at a farewell meeting as the envoy prepared to conclude his mission and return to the U.S..

The meeting took place in a warm and respectful atmosphere, coinciding with the recent marking of 30 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

During the meeting, Trung congratulated Knapper on the successful completion of his term and praised his substantive contributions to expanding Vietnam-U.S. relations across multiple fields.

He spotlighted the ambassador's role in supporting the upgrade of bilateral ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership in September 2023, describing it as a major milestone.

The foreign minister said Knapper's active engagement helped generate strong momentum for cooperation in political and diplomatic relations, economic and trade ties, defense and security, education and training, science and technology, humanitarian work, and efforts to address war legacy issues.

Trung reaffirmed that Vietnam attaches great importance to its comprehensive strategic partnership with the United States and commended the close coordination between the U.S. Embassy and Vietnam's foreign ministry in implementing high-level agreements and concrete cooperation programs that deliver tangible benefits to people in both countries.

He called on both sides to continue working closely to effectively implement agendas agreed upon by senior leaders, based on respect for independence, sovereignty, and national interests, and in support of peace, cooperation, and development at regional and global levels.

Knapper expressed sincere thanks for the warm reception and for the effective cooperation and support from Vietnamese ministries and agencies over the past four years.

He said he was proud to have contributed to the strong development of Vietnam-U.S. relations, particularly the elevation to a comprehensive strategic partnership, which has strengthened political trust, expanded trade, and enhanced cooperation in areas such as defense and security, humanitarian efforts, war legacy remediation, energy, and science and technology.

Knapper stated that regardless of his future role, he would remain a friend of Vietnam and continue to support the further development of Vietnam-U.S. relations.