VietNamNet Bridge – Ambassador Ted Osius made his first visit to Ho Chi Minh City on Tuesday after taking office. His first destination was the Ben Thanh Market.

Ambassador Ted Osius at VietNamNet Office early this week.

The reason was very simple: He wanted to enjoy banh xeo there, his favorite dish in Vietnam.

"Banh xeo (pancake) and sour soup are the two dishes I like,” the ambassador said in Vietnamese. “In Hanoi, it is not easy to have pancakes."

He stopped at souvenir shops first, where he bought two brocade purses for his mother.

"Ben Thanh Market does not change much and it is always very busy," he said.

Sellers at the market were impressed by the ambassador’s good Vietnamese and his open and friendly style. He talked and told a joke to a saleswomen and continually said “Cam on em. Cam on em” (Thank you).

Ambassador Osius said he went to Ho Chi Minh City for the first time in March 1996 and later regularly visited. The last time he came was five years ago.

"Ho Chi Minh City is always bustling and has changed a lot,” he said.

"He is very nice, a very natural and caring man," an employee of the Consulate General said.

Ambassador Osius was directly involved in the establishment of the US Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City and he worked as a political officer here in 1998.

He also participated in the early stages of the process of normalization of Vietnam-US relations 20 years ago.