International press writes about the "historic visit" to Vietnam of a US aircraft carrier

The USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier and two escort warships of the US Navy will approach Da Nang port today, starting a visit lasting from March 5 to March 9 with many military and cultural exchange activities between the two countries. This event has attracted great attention from the US and world media.

Referring to the "historic visit" to Vietnam of the US aircraft carrier,CNNaffirmed that this is the first time a US aircraft carrier has anchored in Vietnam since the war with the US ended more than 40 years ago. The newspaper also reiterated the US side's view that the visit to Da Nang of the Carl Vinson with 5,000 sailors is "a historic opportunity to strengthen the budding relationship between the two former enemies".

The aircraft carrier Carl Vinson will be anchored two nautical miles offshore at Da Nang port, where US troops first landed on Vietnamese soil during the war, making it a highly symbolic site, according toBBCThe news agency also said that the visit of the Carl Vinson ship demonstrates the growing defense relationship between Vietnam and the US.

SheetExpressThe British report details the activities of the US sailors during the visit, including visits to an orphanage and a care center for victims of Agent Orange, a toxic chemical widely used by the US military during the Vietnam War, which has left generations of people here suffering serious health consequences such as cancer, birth defects and many other neurological and psychological problems.

Other cultural exchange activities such as cuisine and sports will also take place between US aircraft carrier soldiers and Vietnamese officers and soldiers.

SheetTelegraphThe visit to Vietnam of the Carl Vinson is part of the US Navy's multinational disaster response exercise in the Indo-Pacific region, and is also an effort to affirm the US presence and commitment in the region.

New York Times, one of the largest and oldest newspapers in the US, said that this visit of the Carl Vinson ship marks a new milestone in the increasingly improving relationship between Vietnam and the US in the context of major changes in the regional geopolitical situation.

"This is a historic step forward, as no American aircraft carrier has been here in 40 years," the NYTimes quoted Rear Admiral John V. Fuller, commander of the Carl Vinson aircraft carrier strike group, whose father fought in Vietnam.

"We hope to continue what we have always done, which is to promote security, stability and prosperity in the region," Mr. Fuller emphasized.

The newspaper recalled the fact that many US warships have visited Vietnam since November 2003, when the USS Vandegrift frigate made its first port call in Vietnam after the war. However, the aircraft carrier's visit is "on a different level", especially when it takes place in the context of complicated security developments in the East Sea in particular and in the Asia-Pacific region in general.

The US has long maintained an active naval presence in Southeast Asia, in an effort to ensure the South China Sea remains “free and open” as about $5 trillion worth of world trade passes through it each year.

In recent years, US warships have also regularly conducted freedom of navigation patrols in the East Sea. Although not a party to the dispute in this area, the US has always emphasized that its naval presence in the East Sea plays an important role in ensuring maritime security and protecting the peaceful and stable conditions that have been formed and maintained since World War II.

“It’s a stable environment where you can really drive economic growth,” said Mr. Fuller. “I think we’ve helped create that environment that has enabled 70 years of growth in the region.”

Opportunities for bilateral defense cooperation

SheetWSJThe visit of the Carl Vinson ship marked the "highest level in Vietnam-US relations" in decades, and considered it a "victory" for the US in its efforts to maintain its economic and military presence and influence in Southeast Asia.

According to the news agencyUPIThe US considers this visit a valuable opportunity to strengthen strategic cooperation with Vietnam to address common issues facing the two countries and the region, especially in the fields of security and freedom of navigation.

ReutersThe Carl Vinson ship arrived in Da Nang in the context of the Trump administration continuously signaling that the US wants to further develop security relations with Vietnam in many fields.

Defense relations between Vietnam and the United States have been strengthened since 2016, when President Obama decided to lift the ban on the sale of lethal weapons to Vietnam. Under Trump, military cooperation between the two countries continued to develop, despite the US decision to withdraw from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP).

During his visit to Hanoi in November 2017, Mr. Trump mentioned the possibility of selling missiles and modern weapons systems to Vietnam. A month later, the National Security Strategy announced by the Trump administration considered Vietnam a "maritime cooperation partner." In January, US Secretary of Defense James Mattis visited Vietnam, laying the groundwork for the Carl Vinson's visit to Da Nang.

Reuters commented that this opens up many opportunities for Vietnam-US military cooperation, in the context that Hanoi needs many resources to protect sovereignty, maritime security, and maritime safety.

It is unclear how far defense cooperation between Vietnam and the US will go after the historic visit of the Carl Vinson, but the relationship "will likely focus on ways to help Vietnam increase its maritime domain awareness and maritime security capabilities," according to Derek Grossman, an expert at the RAND Corporation.