USS George Washington arrives in Vietnam for first port call

Vietnam’s no-alliance defense policy governs diplomacy with multiple major powers

The nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS George Washington arrived Thursday in the central Vietnamese city of Da Nang, beginning a five-day port call. The visit is the carrier’s first to a Vietnamese port and the fourth by a U.S. aircraft carrier since the two countries normalized diplomatic relations in 1995.

The Nimitz-class carrier, flagship of Carrier Strike Group 5, arrived with the guided-missile cruiser USS Robert Smalls and the guided-missile destroyer USS Shoup. The ships are scheduled to remain in Da Nang through Monday. The George Washington is based in Yokosuka, Japan, and is the U.S. Navy’s only forward-deployed aircraft carrier.

Its air wing includes F-35C Lightning II stealth fighters, F/A-18E/F Super Hornets, EA-18G Growlers, E-2D Hawkeyes, CMV-22 Ospreys and MH-60 helicopters. The carrier previously hosted Vietnamese delegations at sea in 2010, 2011 and 2012.

The USS Carl Vinson became the first U.S. aircraft carrier to visit Vietnam after the war when it called at Da Nang in 2018. The USS Theodore Roosevelt followed in 2020, and the USS Ronald Reagan visited in 2023.

Vietnam’s Defense Ministry said the latest visit would contribute to maintaining and developing relations between Hanoi and Washington. The U.S. Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City said the visit reaffirmed the U.S. Navy’s commitment to a shared vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific.

The United States and Vietnam elevated their relationship to a comprehensive strategic partnership in September 2023, Vietnam’s highest diplomatic classification. The two countries have since expanded defense discussions covering maritime security, information sharing, defense trade and efforts to address the consequences of the Vietnam War.

Scheduled activities include public tours, performances by a U.S. Navy band and sporting and cultural exchanges with Vietnamese participants.

The U.S. carrier arrived one day after a Russian Pacific Fleet group completed a four-day visit to Cam Ranh International Port in south-central Vietnam. The Russian vessels, including the Kilo-class submarine Ufa, visited from Sunday through Wednesday and participated in submarine rescue training with the Vietnamese Navy.

The close timing of the two visits reflects Vietnam’s stated effort to maintain defense relations with multiple major powers without entering a formal military alliance — a posture documented in the country’s 2019 defense white paper. Chinese, Indian and Japanese naval vessels have also visited Vietnamese ports in recent months.

Vietnam’s 2019 defense white paper established its “Four No’s” policy: no military alliances, no alignment with one country against another, no foreign military bases or use of Vietnamese territory against another country and no use or threat of force in international relations.

Vietnam has expanded defense cooperation with the United States but continues to purchase and operate large amounts of Russian-designed military equipment. Differences in cost, maintenance systems and compatibility have limited Vietnam’s purchases of U.S. weapons.

The George Washington entered the South China Sea after passing through the Luzon Strait on July 22, following two recent confrontations between Chinese and Philippine vessels in disputed waters.

Carl Thayer, an emeritus professor at the University of New South Wales in Australia, said the visit signals that U.S.-Vietnam engagement is continuing despite the transfer of some American military assets to the Middle East during the conflict with Iran. He said China would likely monitor the carrier strike group with ships and aircraft but avoid the sharp public criticism it often directs at the Philippines.

Beijing has generally sought to avoid pushing Vietnam into a closer military relationship with Washington, despite disputes between China and Vietnam in the South China Sea. The port call illustrates Hanoi’s broader strategy of welcoming vessels from multiple major powers while maintaining its formal policy of strategic independence.