US Carrier Visits Port in Vietnam for First Time Since War Ended 40 Years Ago

On March 5, the USS Carl Vinson docked at the central Vietnamese port of Da Nang, in a port call that the commander of the US aircraft strike group described as a "historic step."

A US aircraft carrier has arrived at a Vietnamese port for the first time since the end of the Vietnam War more than forty years ago, according to media reports.

On Monday, the USS Carl Vinson docked at Da Nang in a four-day port call that the commander of the Carl Vinson strike group touted as a "pretty big and historic step."

U.S. aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson arrives at a port in Danang, Vietnam March 5, 2018

© REUTERS / Kham

"The carrier has not been here [in Vietnam] for 40 years. We hope to continue the same issue that we’ve always had and that's to promote security, stability and prosperity in the region," Rear Admiral John V. Fuller said.

Apart from the Carl Vinson, the strike group includes the guided-missile cruiser Lake Champlain as well as guided-missile destroyers Wayne E. Meyer and Michael Murphy.

Fighter jets on board the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson. File photo

© AP Photo / Bullit Marquez

The 333-meter long Nimitz-class Carl Vinson, which entered service with the US Navy in 1982, has a displacement of 97,000 tons and is equipped with two nuclear power units. The vessel can carry up to 90 on-deck aircraft.

READ MORE: General Insists US Won't 'Be Able to Force Vietnam to Change Course'

The Vietnam War lasted between November 1, 1955 and April 30, 1975, killing 58,220 US servicemen and wounding 303,644 more. 1,700 US soldiers remain missing in the war.