A US aircraft carrier visits Vietnam amid tension between both nations and China

@DefAviation ES 6·27·2023 · 21:31 0

The growing military presence of communist China in Southeast Asia is leading several countries in the region to come closer to the US.

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One of the cases that will surprise many the most, although it is not new, is that of Vietnam. That country emerged from the North Vietnamese invasion of South Vietnam, culminating in 1975. The US intervened in that war at the request of South Vietnam along with other allied countries such as South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Taiwan and Spain (whose contribution was limited to 13 military doctors). In that war, the communist dictatorship of North Vietnam had the support of other dictatorships of the same ideological sign , such as the Soviet Union and China.

That communist block broke in 1978, when Vietnam invaded Cambodia. The USSR maintained its support for the Vietnamese communist dictatorship, while communist China supported the Khmer Rouge dictatorship >, a communist movement responsible for the brutal Cambodian genocide. In retaliation for the Vietnamese invasion of Cambodia, on February 17, 1979, communist China invaded several areas of northern Vietnam, a war that would end almost a month later with the Chinese withdrawal. However,border conflicts between the two countries have continued since then, both on land and at sea, due to the dispute between the two countries over the Paracel Islands.

Although Vietnam is still a communist dictatorship and this has been the subject of constant criticism from the US, and although Hanoi refuses to align itself with any block with any of the superpowers (although it is a traditional ally of Russia), both countries have been leading a rapprochement since the 1990s. For 20 years, the US Navy has visited that Asian country several times in a friendly way. In March 2018, the USS Carl Vinson visited Vietnam on the first call by a US aircraft carrier to that country since the war between the two.

Last Sunday, the port of Da Nang received a visit from the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan, the second visit by a US ship of this type to that country since the war. The US aircraft carrier traveled to Vietnam accompanied by its combat group, CSG-5, and has been received with great honors by the Vietnamese authorities. This rapprochement is not accidental, as tensions between Vietnam and China continue, on the one hand, and tensions between the US and China, on the other. You can see here some photos of that visit published by DVIDS.

The Ticonderoga-class missile cruiser USS Robert Smalls (CG 62) , part of the USS Ronald Reagan battle group, upon arrival at the port of Da Nang.

The aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) with the Vietnamese coast in the background. On the left are two F/A-18E/F Super Hornet fighters parked.

The flag of Vietnam flown on the island of the USS Ronald Reagan. In the maritime field, this flag is known as the courtesy flag and is flown by all ships when navigating through the waters of the country corresponding to that flag .

The Da Nang coastline as seen from the flight deck of the USS Ronald Reagan. Pictured are 23 F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and EA-18G Growler fighter jets and a warning aircraft early E-2C Hawkeye.

Crew members of the USS Ronald Reagan placing the mast for the Navy Jack. This flag is flown on the prow of warships when they are in a foreign port.

Admiral Pat Hannifin, US Navy, being greeted with a wreath at Da Nang Harbor. Hannifin is the battle group commander of the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan.

Captain Daryle Cardone, commanding officer of the USS Ronald Reagan, greeting Vietnam Army and Navy commanders upon arrival at the port of Da Nang.

U.S. Navy Captain Warren Smith addresses aboard the Ticonderoga-class missile cruiser USS Antietam (CG 54) at a change of command ceremony upon arrival from the port of Da Nang. Behind him fly from left to right the flags of Vietnam, the United States and the US Army.

Admiral Pat Hannifin and other US Navy commanders in a photo with the civil and military authorities of Vietnam who received them in the port of Da Nang. Behind them we see one of the two Ticonderoga-class cruisers that have accompanied the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan on this visit.

Admiral Pat Hannifin and other US Navy commanders in a photo with the civil and military authorities of Vietnam who received them in the port of Da Nang. Behind them we see one of the two Ticonderoga-class cruisers that have accompanied the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan on this visit.