ROKS Moon Mu the Great (DDH-976), a South Korean Navy's destroyer, docked at Da Nang’s Tien Sa Port on Tuesday morning, beginning a 4-day visit to the city, with the aim of boosting bilateral defense ties with Da Nang, and Viet Nam as a whole.

Representatives from the 2 countries posing a group photo with the ship’s crew

The ship carries a total of 302 naval officers and sailors, headed by Captain Doh Jin Woo.

The South Korean guests were warmly welcomed by representatives from the Da Nang Department of Foreign Affairs, the High Command of Naval Zone 3, the Department of Foreign Relations under the Ministry of Defence, and the city-based military forces. Also in attendance at the welcoming ceremony were South Korean Ambassador to Viet Nam Kim Do-hyun, Defense Attaché Colonel Ryou Jae-Guen, and members of the South Korean community in the city.

During their 4-day stay in the city, the ship’s crew members will pay courtesy visits to the city’s leaders and commanders of the High Command of Naval Zone 3, explore the beauty of the city, and take part in various exchange activities with members of the South Korean community in the city.

On 14 September, the destroyer will leave the Tien Sa Port for other destinations and its crew members will participate in a joint team formation and communication exercise with the Vietnamese Navy.

The visit by ROKS Moon Mu the Great aims to promote the bilateral relationships within the framework of the 2 countries’ strategic partnership, and help to maintain peace, stability, security and cooperation in the region in the years ahead.

A view of ROKS Moon Mu the Great

This is the second visit by a South Korean naval ship to Da Nang, following the visit by destroyer ROKS Kang Gam Chan (DDH-979) and combat support ship ROKS Hwacheon (AOE-59) in September 2017.

ROKS Moon Mu the Great is a Chungmugong Yi Sun-sin-class destroyer commissioned in 2004.

The ship is 150m (492 feet) long with a beam of 17.4m, draft of 9.5m, displacement of 4,400 tonnes and a maximum speed of 30 knots (35 miles per hour) with a range of 10,200 km.

The destroyer is equipped with an advanced naval radar system and armed with a wide range of armament including torpedoes, cruise missiles and surface-to-air missiles.