A ceremony took place on Monday to welcome a friendship port call to Da Nang from 5 - 9 March by the USS Carl Vinson accompanied by the guided missile cruiser USS Lake Champlain and the destroyer USS Wayne E. Meyer. These ships together carry a total of 6,500 naval officers and crew members.

Representatives from the municipal Department of Foreign Affairs and some of the crew members onboard the USS Carl Vinson

On behalf of the city authorities, the Director of the municipal Department of Foreign Affairs, Mr Lam Quang Minh chaired the welcome ceremony.  In attendance at the event were representatives from the High Commands of the Military Zone 5, the municipal Border Guard High Command, the city-based Zone 3 Naval High Command, and the Department of Foreign Relations under the Ministry of Defence, plus the US Embassy, and the US Defence Attache Office, and some US organisations in Viet Nam.

The welcome was followed by a press conference on the US ships’ historic visit, jointly chaired by Director Minh, and Vice Admiral Philip G. Sawyer - the commander of US 7^th Fleet in the Pacific.

Director Minh remarked that the US vessels’ visit to Viet Nam is conducted according to an agreement between the countries’ high-level leaders mentioned in the Viet Nam-US Joint Declaration during US President Donald Trump’s visit to Viet Nam in November 2017.  The landmark visit aims to promote the bilateral relationships within the framework of the two countries’ comprehensive partnership, and help to maintain peace, stability, security and cooperation in the region in the years ahead.

The USS Carl Vinson was seen approaching to the Da Nang Bay at 12.00pm on Monday.

The guided missile cruiser USS Lake Champlain docked at the Tien Sa Port at 2.00pm.

The destroyer USS Wayne E. Meyer berthed the port at 4.00pm.

During their 5-day stay in Da Nang, the US guests are scheduled to pay courtesy visits to some of the city leaders, to participate in cultural exchanges and community-targeted projects, and to join in friendly sporting events with their Vietnamese colleagues.

In particular, the US Navy's 7^th Fleet Band Orient Express will deliver musical performances for the general public.

The USS Carl Vinson, the U.S. Navy's third Nimitz-class supercarrier, was launched in 1980, and undertook her maiden voyage in 1983.  The ship underwent refueling and an overhaul between 2005 and 2009.

The 3.8 billion US$ ship has a displacement of 103,000 tons and measures 333 meters in length and 77 meters in width, with a capacity of carrying up to 90 aircraft in total.

The carrier currently operates in the West Pacific.