List of ambassadors of the United States to Vietnam

The United States ambassador to Vietnam (Vietnamese: Đại sứ Hoa Kỳ tại Việt Nam) is the chief American diplomat to the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. After the First Indochina War and the defeat of the French domination over Vietnam, the country was split into North and South Vietnam (the Republic of Vietnam) at the Geneva Conference of 1954. The United States did not recognize North Vietnam and thus had no diplomatic relations with the country. After the reunification of Vietnam in 1976, there followed a period of 20 years in which the United States had no diplomatic relations with Vietnam.

Ambassador of the United States to Vietnam
Đại sứ Hoa Kỳ tại Việt Nam
Seal of the United States Department of State
United States ambassador flag
Incumbent
Marc Knapper
since February 11, 2022
NominatorThe President of the United States
Inaugural holderPete Peterson
as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
FormationApril 11, 1997
WebsiteU.S. Embassy - Hanoi

The U.S. opened a Liaison Office in Hanoi on January 28, 1995. Diplomatic relations were established July 11, 1995, and the embassy in Hanoi was established with L. Desaix Anderson as chargé d’affaires ad interim.

Ambassadors

U.S. diplomatic terms

Career FSO
After 1915, The United States Department of State began classifying ambassadors as career Foreign Service Officers (FSOs) for those who have served in the Foreign Service for a specified amount of time.

Political appointee
A person who is not a career foreign service officer, but is appointed by the president (often as a reward to political friends).

Appointed
The date that the ambassador took the oath of office; also known as "commissioning". It follows confirmation of a presidential appointment by the Senate, or a Congressional recess appointment by the president. In the case of a recess appointment, the ambassador requires subsequent confirmation by the Senate to remain in office.

Presented credentials
The date that the ambassador presented his letter of credence to the head of state or appropriate authority of the receiving nation. At this time the ambassador officially becomes the representative of his country. This would normally occur a short time after the ambassador's arrival on station. The host nation may reject the ambassador by not receiving the ambassador's letter, but this occurs only rarely.

Terminated mission
Usually the date that the ambassador left the country. In some cases a letter of recall is presented, ending the ambassador's commission, either as a means of diplomatic protest or because the diplomat is being reassigned elsewhere and replaced by another envoy.

Chargé d'affaires
The person in charge of the business of the embassy when there is no ambassador commissioned to the host country.

Ad interim
Latin phrase meaning "for the time being", "in the meantime".

1950 to 1975 (South Vietnam)
See also: List of ambassadors of the United States to South Vietnam

Since 1997
Name Title Appointed Presented credentials Terminated mission
Pete Peterson – Political appointee[1] Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary April 11, 1997 May 14, 1997 July 15, 2001
Raymond Burghardt – Career FSO November 28, 2001 February 5, 2002 September 5, 2004
Michael W. Marine – Career FSO May 6, 2004 September 10, 2004 August 10, 2007
Michael W. Michalak – Career FSO[2] May 24, 2007 August 10, 2007 February 14, 2011
Virginia E. Palmer – Career FSO[3] Chargé d'Affaires ad interim February 14, 2011 - July 2011
David B. Shear – Career FSO[4] Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary August 4, 2011 August 29, 2011 August 8, 2014
Ted Osius – Career FSO[5] December 10, 2014[6] December 16, 2014[7] November 4, 2017
Daniel Kritenbrink – Career FSO October 27, 2017 November 6, 2017 April 15, 2021
Christopher Klein[8] Chargé d'Affaires ad interim April 15, 2021[9] - October 15, 2021
Marie C. Damour Chargé d'Affaires ad interim October 15, 2021[10] - January 3, 2022[11]
Marc Knapper – Career FSO Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary January 3, 2022[12] February 11, 2022[13] Incumbent

Residence
Ambassador's Residence

The house used by the U.S. ambassador was designed by M. LaCollogne, Principal Architect and Chief of Civil Construction Service in Tonkin and built in 1921 by Indochina Public Property, part of the French colonial government, for Indochina Financial Governors who lived here until 1948. The house was then assigned, until 1954, to the highest-ranking Indochina Tariff Officer. When the French left South East Asia in 1954, Vietnamese government officials moved in. Deputy Prime Minister Phan Kế Toại was the last occupant; at his death, the house became the headquarter of the Committee for Foreign Culture Exchange. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ press office was located in the building until 1994. The residence was included in an exchange of property between the United States of America and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam in 1995.[14]

Notes
  1. An earlier nomination of May 23, 1996, was not acted upon by the Senate.
  2. "Biography of Ambassador Michalak - U.S. Embassy Hanoi". Archived from the original on 2011-05-01. Retrieved 2011-07-05.
  3. "Former Chargé d'Affaires". United States Department of State, U.S. Embassy Hanoi. Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2011-08-13.
  4. "Ambassador". United States Department of State, U.S. Embassy Hanoi. Archived from the original on 2012-09-09. Retrieved 2011-08-13.
  5. Itkowitz, Colby (November 17, 2014). "Senate clears four ambassador nominees". Washington Post. Retrieved December 12, 2014.
  6. Lavers, Michael K. (December 10, 2014). "Gay man sworn in as U.S. ambassador to Vietnam". Washington Blade. Retrieved December 12, 2014.
  7. "New US Ambassador Arrives in Vietnam, Meets President". Thanh Nien News. December 17, 2014. Retrieved December 17, 2014.
  8. "Chargé d'Affaires, a.i. Christopher Klein". U.S. Embassy & Consulate in Vietnam. Archived from the original on 2021-06-05. Retrieved 2022-01-09.
  9. "Technical Difficulties".
  10. "Chargé d'Affaires, a.i. Marie C. Damour". U.S. Embassy & Consulate in Vietnam. Archived from the original on 2021-11-07. Retrieved 2022-01-09.
  11. "Marc Knapper sworn in as new US ambassador to Vietnam". Tuoi Tre News. 2022-01-04. Retrieved 2022-01-09.
  12. @USAsiaPacific (January 3, 2022). "Congratulations to Ambassador Marc Knapper on his swearing-in as the new United States Ambassador to Vietnam! The United States supports a strong, independent, and prosperous Vietnam" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  13. "President welcomes new ambassadors of US, Mexico". VietnamPlus. February 11, 2022.
  14. U.S. Department of State, The Secretary of State's Register of Culturally Significant Property, 2007.

See also

References
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