US Navy’s Ronald Regan aircraft carrier arrives in Vietnam

Asia-Pacific, News, US June 27, 2023 , by IRIA No Comments

U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Ronald Regan (CVN 76) arrived in Vietnam’s Da Nang Bay along with the guided missile cruisers USS Antietam (CG 54) and USS Robert Smalls (CG 62). The aircraft carrier visited Vietnam for a port call on June 25, 2023.

This is the third time that a U.S. aircraft carrier has stopped in Vietnam for a port call since 2018. The first-ever U.S. aircraft carrier to visit Vietnam was the USS Carl Vinson in 2018. The USS Theodore Roosevelt stopped over in 2020 to mark 25 years since the end of the Vietnam War.

Upon Regan’s arrival in Vietnam, the U.S. Navy officials disembarked the ship and shook hands with their Vietnamese military counterparts in a brief ceremony.

Rear Adm. Pat Hannifin, Commander, Task Force (CTF) 70/Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 5 said, “We’re excited to come to Vietnam and appreciate the welcome our strike group has received. Visits like this reinforce our partnership and commitment to confronting shared challenges in the maritime domain. They also provide a great opportunity for our Sailors to engage with the Vietnamese people and culture.”

#StrengtheningPartnerships with our friends in #Vietnam! 🇺🇸🤝🇻🇳

📍DA NANG, Vietnam (June 25, 2023) USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) arrives in Da Nang, Vietnam, for a scheduled port visit.

📸: MC2 Keyly Santizo and MC3 Jordan Brown pic.twitter.com/SlWjUMLVkP
— U.S. Navy (@USNavy) June 25, 2023

More than 5,000 U.S. Navy sailors are aboard the USS Ronald Regan strike group. The crew would take part in the cultural and professional exchange events, as well as community services projects arranged by the United States Embassy in Vietnam.

Captain of the aircraft carrier Daryle Cardone, said that “The entire crew and I are grateful for this opportunity as well as the hospitality of the Vietnamese.” USS Ronald Regan is expected to stay in Vietnam until June 30.

Captain Cardone added, “A few Reagan Sailors call Vietnam home. But for most, it will be their first time visiting. In addition, some of the crew will volunteer at several community relations events, play sports with local athletes, and participate in a unique culinary exchange.”

Vietnam’s Foreign Ministry called USS Ronald Reagan’s port call a “normal friendly exchange for the sake of peace, stability, cooperation, and development in both the region and the world.”

*^{USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76) Nimitz-class aircraft carrier on its second day in Da Nang, Vietnam. (Image Credit: Twitter/@AnnQuann)}*

In the wake of China’s growing influence in the Indo-Pacific region and particularly in the South China Sea, the U.S. and Vietnam are increasingly growing closer by deepening trade links as well as military diplomacy. Strong bilateral ties between the U.S. and Vietnam are key for Washington to remain the dominant power in the region.

Apart from being a party in the complicated territorial claims of the South China Sea along with the Philippines, China, Malaysia, and Brunei, Vietnam is also a strong economic partner with China and one of its closest trading neighbors. The relations between Hanoi and Beijing have been strained in recent months.

A few weeks ago, Vietnam protested the presence of China’s survey vessel, multiple coast guard ships, and fishing boats that had been operating in the waters that Vietnam claims as its exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the South China Sea.

According to Vietnam’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a Chinese vessel Xiang Yang Hong 10 began sailing in Vietnam’s EEZ on May 7, 2023, at times flanked by a dozen ships. The vessel and its entourage of more than half a dozen ships began their journey back to China’s Hainan Island after Vietnam protested the violation of its EEZ.