Imagine if Mike Pence, when he was leaving the White House, busted out a rap to bid the nation adieu … that would bug you out?
Well, that is exactly what US Ambassador Daniel Kritenbrink did as a public goodbye to the Vietnamese people as he prepares to exit his position.
The American rep kicked this very clever (though not Nas worthy) rhyme in a new video/ commercial that said, “I’m from Nebraska, I’m not a big-city boy / Then three years ago, I moved to Hanoi.”
Dripping with Midwest white American swig (not really swag), he collaborated with Ho Chi Minh City-based culture magazine, Vietcetera to drop this video.
It seems that they are setting him up to be on the second season of a popular television show called, Rap Viet, think “Dancing with the Stars” meets “Rhythm and Flow.”
He will appear on the show alongside some of Vietnam’s best rappers. He worked with Wowy, who Asian-rap fans might remember from the group SouthGanZ that broke out in 2006, on this video.
Kritenbrink rhymed, as the nation prepared for Tet the Lunar New Year for the Vietnamese and the biggest festival for the country, these hot lyrics, “Check the calendar, Tet is coming soon / Can Tho and Danang are in the mood.”
And ended with these words of harmony: “U.S. and Vietnam, from now to forever / We’re trusted partners, prospering together.”
U.S Ambassador to Vietnam marks Tet with rap…
This Tet, Vietcetera celebrates famous faces of Vietnamese rap: Binz Da Poet, Wowy, and U.S. Ambassador Daniel Kritenbrink – Rap Việt kiểu Mỹ- Khi đại sứ hát Rap… thì không phải dạng vừa đâu! https://t.co/8o8oDF6loA
— Demian Smith (@DemianSmith) February 8, 2021
The video is actually cute and has already received about 3,000 views on Facebook and Twitter at the time of publishing.
The head of the United Nations in Vietnam, Kamal Malhotra, commented in an email, “Dan realizes that people-to-people cultural diplomacy to engage young people is as important in Vietnam as formal diplomacy, particularly for the U.S. given its history here.”
But everyone was happy.
A comment on the U.S. Embassy’s Facebook page said, “What is this? The State Department is now turning into the Ministry for Rapping, huh? Ever since Biden was elected, the ambassador has had nothing to do, so he’s preparing to switch to making professional dance songs?”
The United States and Vietnam have had a rocky history, dating back before the war that ravished many people in the 50s, 60s, and 70s. Now, their relations are much better — with both governments working together over the last 25 years for healing.