USS George Washington Docks in Vietnam, Underscoring Deepening US Ties
HANOI- The U.S. Navy’s nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS George Washington arrived in the central Vietnamese city of Danang on Thursday for a five-day port visit, marking the latest step in expanding defense ties between Washington and Hanoi nearly three years after the two countries elevated their relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
The visit is the fourth by a U.S. aircraft carrier to Vietnam since the end of the Vietnam War and the first since USS Ronald Reagan called at Danang in June 2023. It comes as both countries continue to broaden cooperation in defense and regional security.
Vietnam’s Defense Ministry said the visit by the U.S. Navy carrier strike group would contribute to maintaining and developing bilateral relations between Vietnam and the United States. The ministry added that the port call also reflected Vietnam’s policy of providing logistics and technical support for foreign naval vessels visiting the country.
The USS George Washington arrived accompanied by the guided-missile cruiser USS Robert Smalls (CG-62) and the destroyer USS Shoup (DDG-86), forming a carrier strike group that will remain in Danang during the five-day visit.
The U.S. Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City said the deployment reaffirmed the U.S. Navy’s commitment to a shared vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific. The statement underscored continued U.S. engagement with regional partners as Washington seeks to strengthen security cooperation across the Indo-Pacific.
The port call follows the decision by the United States and Vietnam in September 2023 to elevate their relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, the highest tier in Vietnam’s diplomatic framework. The upgraded ties have paved the way for expanded cooperation across multiple sectors, including defense.
Defense engagement has continued at senior levels since the partnership was established. In June, Vietnamese Defense Minister Phan Van Giang met U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, where the two discussed expanding defense cooperation.
According to the U.S. side, those discussions covered defense trade, information sharing and efforts to address the legacy of past conflicts, an area that has remained an important component of bilateral relations despite the countries’ wartime history.
Carrier visits to Vietnam remain relatively uncommon and serve as visible demonstrations of the growing strategic relationship between the former adversaries. Since diplomatic normalization in 1995, Washington and Hanoi have steadily expanded cooperation in trade, security and regional affairs while maintaining dialogue on issues of mutual interest.
The arrival of USS George Washington continues that trajectory, highlighting increasing naval engagement between the two countries as they pursue closer defense cooperation under their upgraded strategic partnership.
