US ambassador finds new job in Vietnam at private American university Fulbright

By Minh Nga   November 3, 2017 | 12:04 am PT
US ambassador finds new job in Vietnam at private American university Fulbright
Ted Osius is the new vice president at Fulbright University Vietnam in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo by VnExpress/Manh Tung
Ambassador Ted Osius' term comes to an end this weekend, but he's excited about the new challenge.

The outgoing U.S. ambassador to Vietnam Ted Osius has been appointed vice president of Fulbright University Vietnam (FUV), the first American-style private university to open in the country.

“We are thrilled that Ambassador Osius will stay in Vietnam and join FUV as our vice president,” Dam Bich Thuy, the president of FUV, was quoted in a university statement as saying on Thursday.

Nominated by President Barack Obama in May 2014, Osius will conclude his term at the end of this week.

His ambassadorship has been marked by several historic milestones, including the 2015 visit to the U.S. by Communist Party chief Nguyen Phu Trong, and President Obama's 2016 visit to Vietnam.

Osius will officially start work at FUV in January next year.

He will also serve as the founding director of FUV’s Grand Challenges Initiative, through which FUV will engage with some of the biggest challenges and opportunities facing Vietnam, the region and the world, read the statement.

“I’m excited to share that," Osius wrote in a Facebook post on Wednesday, "after I complete my term as Ambassador this weekend that my work in Vietnam as a private citizen will begin, I’ll move to HCMC early next year, where I will join the Fulbright University Vietnam (FUV) as Vice President and report to President Dam Bich Thuy and the FUV Board.” 

During a twenty-nine-year career at the U.S. Department of State, Osius worked at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations and in Vietnam, Indonesia, India, Thailand, the Vatican and the Philippines. He has taught at the National War College in Washington, D.C. and served as a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

FUV opened in September with 60 students on its master program in public policy. Its undergraduate program is expected to start in April next year.

President Donald Trump in July named Daniel Kritenbrink, a career diplomat with extensive experience in Asian affairs, as the new U.S. ambassador to Vietnam.

 
 
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