Ted Osius, the outgoing American ambassador to Vietnam, will continue to live and work in Vietnam after his term ends.
Tuoi Tre reports that Ambassador Osius met with Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc last month to conclude his tenure, which ran from 2014-2017. The former diplomat intends to remain in Vietnam and work in the education sector.
Phuc praised Osius' accomplishments, noting the number of high-level visits the ambassador facilitated between the two countries, namely Party Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong's trip to the United States in 2015, President Barack Obama's visit to Vietnam last year, and Phuc's White House visit this past May.
Economic ties between the countries also deepened during Osius' stint, with two-way trade growing from US$36 billion in 2014 to US$50 billion this year.
Osius, for his part, expressed his hope that the upcoming visit by President Donald Trump will further elevate relations between Vietnam and the US.
According to VietnamNet, Osius will take on the role of vice chairman at Fulbright Vietnam University in Saigon. He added that he would move to the southern city soon.
"I’m excited to share that after I complete my term as Ambassador this weekend and that my work in Vietnam as a private citizen will begin," Osius wrote in a post on his official Facebook account.
Meanwhile, the Omaha World-Herald reports that Daniel Kritenbrink, a veteran diplomat with years of experience in Asia, has been confirmed as the new US ambassador to Vietnam.
[Photo via Tuoi Tre]
