Two American warships stopped in Vietnam’s Cam Ranh Bay this week for the first time since the two nations normalized relations 21 years ago, the U.S. Navy said on Tuesday.
Submarine tender USS Frank Cable and guided-missile destroyer USS John S. McCain made the visit on Oct. 2 as part of naval engagement activities between the U.S. and Vietnam, the Navy said in a statement. Other military sealift ships have visited in the past, it said.
The visit is part of recent U.S. efforts to enhance naval ties with Vietnam as it seeks to counter China’s assertiveness over disputed territory in nearby waters. Beijing has reclaimed thousands of acres of land in the South China Sea and increased its military presence in recent years, raising concern from Vietnam and other claimants.
“It sort of speaks to the growing substance of this U.S.-Vietnam defense and security relationship,” said Collin Koh, a research fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore who studies maritime security. “I think we have seen in more recent years that Vietnam is sliding more toward countries like Japan and the U.S. for obvious reasons that China has risen and grown more assertive.”
The U.S. and Vietnam last week announced the start of its seventh annual naval engagement. The drills beginning in Danang will include maritime exercises focused on communications through the code for unplanned encounters at sea, and a search and rescue operation, according to a statement by the office of the U.S. Commander Logistics Group Western Pacific.
The visit comes as the U.S. faces uncertainty in its relationship with the Philippines, a longtime regional ally and also a party to the South China Sea dispute. New Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has frequently called into question the future of the alliance, including a recent comment that joint maritime drills that kicked off Tuesday will be the last. He has indicated he is open to closer relations with China.
“We should not overlook the symbolic importance of this visit, especially at a time when U.S.-Philippine relations are coming under strain due to President Duterte’s anti-American and seemingly pro-China rhetoric,” said Ian Storey, a senior fellow at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore. “If the U.S.-Philippine alliance does start to unravel, America will want to expand its defense cooperation with Vietnam.”
Cam Ranh Bay, located about 220 miles (354 kilometers) north of Ho Chi Minh City, has been of strategic significance to the world’s powers for more than 100 years. Built by the French in the 19th century and later occupied by Japan during World War II, Cam Ranh Bay was offered to the U.S. by its ally South Vietnam in 1965.
The U.S. upgraded the air and naval facilities for use in the war. It was handed back to South Vietnam in 1972 as part of the so-called Vietnamization effort and captured by the communist forces in 1975.
In 2012, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta became the highest-ranking American official to visit Cam Ranh Bay since the Vietnam War.
Featured Image: Bullit Marquez/AP Photo
Bullit Marquez/AP Photo
