Rare docking of US nuclear powered aircraft carrier in Vietnam, subtle moment in Danang, Vietnam | USS Reagan aircraft carrier

On June 25th local time, the US Navy's Nimitz class nuclear powered aircraft carrier Ronald Reagan docked in the central Vietnamese city of Danang for a visit, marking the first visit of a US aircraft carrier to Vietnam in three years. In the current turbulent regional and international situation, this rare move reflects the strategic considerations of both the United States and Vietnam.

Rare visits

According to official reports from the United States and Vietnam, accompanied by the missile cruisers Antietam and Robert Smoles, the Reagan will make a planned visit to Danang from June 25th to June 30th.

According to the US Naval Research Institute, these three warships of the US Navy, as well as the USS Raphael Perarta destroyer, have been operating in the waters near the South China Sea for over a week.

US Ambassador to Vietnam, Mark Napper, said that the arrival of the USS Reagan demonstrates the two countries' commitment to strengthening bilateral relations, as it marks the 10th anniversary of the establishment of a comprehensive partnership between the United States and Vietnam.

Patrick Hannifin, commander of the US Navy's Fifth Carrier Strike Group, where the USS Reagan is located, also stated that such visits will promote the two countries to address "common challenges in the maritime field.".

Vietnamese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Fan Qiuhong said that the Vietnamese side has recently received multiple warships, and the arrival of the Reagan is a "normal friendly exchange".

It is reported that during the six day itinerary, the crew of the USS Reagan will participate in a series of cultural exchange activities.

"More than 5000 sailors on the USS Ronald Reagan are looking forward to visiting Danang and experiencing Vietnamese culture," said the carrier's commander Daryl Cardone.

The Reagan's visit to Vietnam this time is rare. This is the first time the USS Reagan has visited Vietnam since the normalization of US Vietnam relations in 1995. This is also the third time a US aircraft carrier has visited Vietnam since the end of the Vietnam War, and it has been three years since the last US aircraft carrier visited.

In March 2018, the US Navy's Nimitz class nuclear powered aircraft carrier Carl Vinson docked in Danang for a visit, marking the first time a US aircraft carrier has visited Vietnam since the end of the Vietnam War.

In March 2020, the US Navy's other nuclear powered aircraft carrier, Theodore Roosevelt, became the second US aircraft carrier to visit Vietnam.

From an object perspective, the arrival of the Reagan also had a special significance. This "big guy" is 333 meters long, with a displacement of 97000 tons, and can carry at least 80 various types of carrier based aircraft, equipped with advanced fire control radar and other equipment and technology.

In October 2015, the USS Reagan took over from another Nimitz class nuclear powered aircraft carrier, the USS George Washington, and used the US Yokosuka base in Japan as its new home port. At that time, this move was seen as the implementation of the US government's "Asia Pacific Rebalance" strategy at the military level.

The US side introduced that the USS Reagan is now the flagship of the US Navy's Fifth Carrier Strike Group, which belongs to the largest fleet of the US Navy - the Seventh Fleet, and is deployed to support the free and open Indian Ocean Pacific region.

However, the Reagan is expected to be replaced by the refurbished Washington next year.

US demands

Some analysts believe that one of the most powerful naval forces dispatched by the United States this time is aimed at promoting the impression of Vietnam as a "reliable partner" with the United States. This starts with the recent exchanges between the two countries.

In recent years, with the successive launch of the "Asia Pacific Rebalance Strategy" and "Indo Pacific Strategy" by the US government, the US has increasingly regarded Vietnam as an important partner in Southeast Asia. At the same time, Vietnam's diplomacy has a balanced tone, with the relationship between the two countries gradually heating up and military exchanges becoming increasingly frequent.

But public opinion has noticed that this trend has slowed down in recent years. According to an article published on the website of Diplomat, US officials have been working hard in the past year to upgrade the relationship between the two countries from the current "comprehensive partnership" to a "strategic partnership".

A new sign is that in April this year, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Vietnam for the first time since he took office and attended the groundbreaking ceremony of the new US embassy in Vietnam. Public opinion believes that the US push for this $1.2 billion project indicates that the Biden administration hopes to further enhance bilateral relations.

Regarding the strategic intentions of the United States, the Associated Press stated that Washington sees Hanoi as a key component of its regional strategy, seeking to expand its influence in the region.

"Bamboo style diplomacy"

However, Vietnam seems to have a cold attitude towards the US demands. Analysis suggests that the Vietnamese side has multiple considerations.

Firstly, it sends a signal to China that Vietnam will not join an alliance led by the United States aimed at containing China, especially considering the close economic and trade cooperation between China and Vietnam. China has maintained Vietnam's position as the largest trading partner for 16 consecutive years.

It is worth mentioning that there are reports that the Reagan was originally scheduled to visit Vietnam last year, but it was temporarily cancelled.

Carl Sayer, Honorary Professor at the Australian Academy of Defense, believes that Vietnam cancelled the visit out of cautious consideration due to the escalating tensions in the South China Sea at that time.

This may also explain why the Vietnamese side emphasized that the arrival of the Reagan was a "normal and friendly exchange".

Secondly, scholars such as Huang Xinguang from the University of Humanities and Social Sciences affiliated with Ho Chi Minh City National University believe that Vietnamese leaders are also concerned that if they enter into a "strategic partnership" with the United States, Vietnam may face "internal interference" from the US government in the future.

It is said that Vietnamese officials also stated that the essence of the partnership is more important than its name.

Huang Xinguang and others therefore believe that whether Vietnam will improve its relationship with the United States will depend on how China responds, as well as Washington's performance in respecting Vietnam's sovereignty and ensuring equal and mutually beneficial cooperation with Vietnam.

At the same time, Vietnam's diplomatic and defense cooperation is also showing a trend of diversification.

On May 19th, the Indian Navy's Delhi class missile destroyer and the Satpura frigate arrived in Danang for a visit.

Recently, Vietnamese Defense Minister Pan Van Giang also visited India and met with Indian Defense Minister Singh. According to Indian media reports, Singh announced at the time that India would "gift" a domestically produced missile frigate to Vietnam and planned to strengthen training for Vietnamese personnel in areas such as submarine and fighter operation.

On May 23rd, the Chinese Navy ship Qi Jiguang, who was carrying out a long-distance internship mission, arrived at the first stop of this voyage visit - Danang, Vietnam, and began a two-day friendly visit to Vietnam. This is Qi Jiguang's first visit to Vietnam after joining the fleet.

Recently, the Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force's destroyer "Izumo" docked at Vietnam's Jinlan Bay International Port.

According to the South China Morning Post, Lee Teng ying, who previously served as an economic advisor to the Vietnamese government, said that this series of movements indicates that Vietnam is implementing "bamboo style diplomacy" with a color of balancing the interests of all parties.

Regarding what "bamboo style diplomacy" is, Vietnamese Foreign Minister Pei Qingshan reiterated last month that Vietnam's diplomacy has a unique Ho Chi Minh era foreign policy school, which is the "Vietnamese bamboo style diplomacy" with "stable bamboo roots, strong bamboo bodies, and flexible bamboo branches".