Marc Knapper

Marc Evans Knapper is an American diplomat who has served as the United States Ambassador to Vietnam since February 2022.

Education
Knapper earned his Bachelor of Arts from Princeton University and his Master of Arts from the Army War College.

Career
Knapper is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, class of Minister-Counselor. He previously served as the Chargé d’Affaires of the U.S. embassy in Seoul, South Korea and, prior to that, was the embassy’s deputy chief of mission. Earlier, Knapper was director of the State Department’s Office of India Affairs and director of the State Department’s office of Japanese Affairs. From 2004 to 2007, he was political affairs counselor at the U.S. embassy in Hanoi. His other assignments include leadership positions in the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq, and the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo, Japan.

Ambassador to Vietnam
On April 15, 2021, President Joe Biden nominated Knapper to be the next United States Ambassador to Vietnam. Hearings on his nomination were held before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on his nomination on July 13, 2021. The committee favorably reported his nomination to the Senate floor on August 4, 2021. Knapper was confirmed by the Senate by voice vote on December 18, 2021. He was sworn into office on January 3, 2022.

Knapper presented his credentials to president Nguyễn Xuân Phúc on February 11, 2022.

Recognition
Knapper is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Secretary of State’s Distinguished Service award, the State Department’s Linguist of the Year award, and a Presidential Rank award.

Personal life
Knapper speaks Japanese, Korean and Vietnamese. He and his wife, Suzuko, have a son, Alexander.