On the deck of the US aircraft carrier about to visit Vietnam

A US naval fleet consisting of the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson, the cruiser USS Lake Champlain and the destroyer USS Wayne E. Meyer will visit Da Nang city from March 5 to 9. The group of ships is moving in the East Sea after a port visit in the Philippines, according toABC.

Speaking to international reporters visiting the aircraft carrier Carl Vinson last weekend, Captain Doug Verissimo called Carl Vinson a "floating city", complete with a dental clinic, gym, cafe, karaoke on Friday nights and even a chapel for religions.

The ship has a permanent crew of about 3,000 sailors and another 2,000 serving in the carrier air wing. The USS Carl Vinson carries about 70 aircraft, including F/A-18 Super Hornet and Hornet fighters, EA 18G Growler electronic warfare fighters, Nighthawk helicopters and early warning aircraft.

USS Carl Vinson is the third US Nimitz-class supercarrier, named after Congressman Carl Vinson in recognition of his contributions to the US Navy. The ship was launched in 1980 and commissioned two years later.

The USS Carl Vinson has a displacement of 103,000 tons, is 333 meters long and 77 meters wide, and can carry up to 90 aircraft of all types. Serving as the flagship of Carrier Strike Group 1 (CSG-1), the USS Carl Vinson is operating in the Western Pacific region.

Speaking about the Carl Vinson's movement in the South China Sea, Verissimo said that this move shows the US's interest in the region. "We don't have many aircraft carriers, so when we send a ship to a certain area, it will definitely have an impact," he said.

“Of course, it also gives our diplomats time and space to negotiate and make decisions, with the ultimate aim of trying to prevent any kind of armed conflict,” he added.

"We want to maintain international rules and norms, we do not change the map to avoid causing disturbances," Verissimo stressed. "We are here to maintain the standards and norms that we have followed for the past 50 years, we do not want to change that," he said.

John Fuller, commander of Carrier Strike Group 1, stressed that the US does not take sides when it comes to promoting international law. "You can call this a presence operation, which is freedom of navigation in accordance with the standards and norms of international law," said Timothy Hawkins, nship spokesmanCarl Vinson,said.

The US said the presence of the USS Carl Vinson in the area was unrelated to tensions on the Korean peninsula. "We are not trying to make a particular position other than we are operating in international waters and exercising freedom of navigation," Verissimo said.