President Donald J. Trump has announced his intention to nominate a new ambassador to Vietnam, the White House said Wednesday (U.S. time) in a press release.  

The U.S. president wants Daniel J. Kritenbrink of Virginia to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, according to the press release.

A career member of the Senior Foreign Service, class of Minister-Counselor, Kritenbrink has served as an American diplomat since 1994.

He is currently the Senior Advisor for North Korea Policy at the Department of State.

Kritenbrink is a former Deputy Chief of Mission in Beijing.

He has held senior leadership positions at the Department of State and served as a Senior Director at the National Security Council.

The diplomat has two decades of experience overseas and in Washington working on Asian affairs as a policymaker, analyst, and practitioner.

Kritenbrink earned an MA from the University of Virginia and a BA from the University of Nebraska-Kearney, the White House said, adding that he speaks Chinese and Japanese.

Ted Osius is now the U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam.

Osius, born in 1961 in Maryland, has taken different diplomatic positions across Asia for nearly three decades.

He was appointed to the ambassadorship in Vietnam by President Barack Obama on May 15, 2014, replacing David Shear, who took office in the country in 2011.

He has known Kritenbrink for decades, Osius said Thursday (Vietnam time) on his verified Facebook page.  

“I can’t think of a better diplomat to build on the positive momentum of the current U.S.-Vietnam relationship,” he said.

“With President Trump’s official announcement, the U.S. Senate soon begins its work. And if he’s confirmed, we look forward to welcoming him to Vietnam!”

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!