US Carrier Calls At Da Nang In First Vietnam Visit Since 2023
The aircraft carrier USS George Washington has arrived at Da Nang with its embarked air wing, the first visit by an American carrier to Vietnam since 2023 and the fourth such call in the history of the two countries' relationship. The ship is escorted by a Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser and an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, and the group brings more than 5,000 personnel to the port.
The American ambassador framed the visit around the 250th anniversary of American independence, thanking the city and its people for the welcome and describing the call as further evidence of strengthening defence cooperation within the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries. The programme covers technical meetings, sporting events, cultural exchanges and community service projects, the standard architecture of a goodwill call rather than an operational deployment.
The last carrier visit was in June 2023, when a different ship arrived with its strike group. Late last year the Navy also deployed an amphibious assault ship carrying elements of a Marine expeditionary unit. The service emphasised that the return of a Nimitz-class carrier reflects its commitment to the partnership, a formulation that acknowledges how carefully Hanoi manages the cadence of these visits.
Vietnam's balancing act runs in several directions at once. American analysts note that Hanoi has approached India about a possible purchase of anti-ship missiles and fast patrol boats, and that discussions with Japan are under way on the potential joint development of a landing ship. None of this amounts to alignment. Vietnam has maintained a declared policy of avoiding military alliances and foreign bases, and it manages its relationship with China, its largest trading partner and the state with which it contests maritime claims, on a separate track from its dealings with Washington.
The carrier group reached Da Nang after transiting the Luzon Strait into the South China Sea, where the Navy has confirmed it will conduct operations aimed at strengthening its presence. The ship had earlier taken part in a major Western Pacific exercise, with a logistics stop at Guam on completion. For commercial shipping the significance is indirect but real: the South China Sea carries a substantial share of world trade, and the pattern of naval activity in it shapes how insurers and owners assess a route that has so far remained open while others have closed.
