The aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan approaches Da Nang, Vietnam, Sunday, June 25, 2023. (Jordan Brown/U.S. Navy)
The USS Ronald Reagan and two escort ships steamed into Da Nang Bay on Sunday, marking the third visit of a U.S. aircraft carrier to Vietnam since hostilities ended and the first since the COVID-19 pandemic has ebbed.
The Ronald Reagan — escorted by the guided-missile cruisers USS Antietam and USS Robert Smalls — pulled into port in Da Nang, where their crews are scheduled to take part in cultural and professional exchanges, community service projects and other events, the U.S. Embassy in Vietnam said in a Sunday news release.
“More than 5,000 sailors aboard USS Ronald Reagan are eager to visit [Da Nang] and experience Vietnamese culture,” the carrier’s skipper, Capt. Daryle Cardone, said in the release. “The entire crew and I are grateful for this opportunity as well as the hospitality of the Vietnamese.”
Capt. Daryle Cardone, commander of the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan, greets Vietnamese navy sailors during a welcome ceremony in Da Nang, Vietnam, Sunday, June 25, 2023. (Keyly Santizo/U.S. Navy)
The Ronald Reagan joins the aircraft carriers USS Theodore Roosevelt and USS Carl Vinson as the only ships of their class to make port calls in the country since the Vietnam War ended in 1975. The Carl Vinson made the first visit in 2018, followed by the Theodore Roosevelt in 2020.
The Theodore Roosevelt soon made for Guam after COVID-19 broke out aboard the carrier in March 2020, eventually sickening hundreds and ending the command of its skipper, Capt. Brett Crozier. A Navy investigation later suggested U.S. sailors picked up the virus at a hotel in Da Nang.
The Ronald Reagan’s visit comes less than a week after the Japanese helicopter carrier JS Izumo made its own stop in Vietnam at Cam Ranh Bay, approximately 350 miles south of Da Nang, and just a month after the Chinese training ship Qi Jiguang stopped in Da Nang for a goodwill visit that concluded May 25.
The Izumo went on to train with the Vietnamese navy frigate HQ Ly Thai To on Friday in the South China Sea, the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force announced Monday.
China’s training ship continued on to Thailand and later the Philippines, the Chinese state-sponsored website China Military Online reported May 26.
Relations between Vietnam and China have been strained in recent months with a Chinese research vessel and a “number of Chinese Coast Guard and fishing vessels” entering Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone, Vietnam’s Foreign Ministry said May 25.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Vietnam and competent authorities have been in contact with their Chinese counterparts on numerous occasions and are implementing appropriate measures in accordance with Vietnamese and international law to ensure Vietnam’s lawful and legitimate rights and interests,” said spokeswoman Pham Thu Hang, according to a transcript of a May 25 press conference.
Meanwhile, the Ronald Reagan Carrier Strike Group over the past few weeks has been operating in the South China Sea, including a visit with French liaison officers, at-sea refueling with various ships and numerous flight sorties, according to photos and news releases from the Defense Visual Information Distribution Service.
