Aussie warships to make friendly visit to Vietnam

By Xuan Ngoc May 2, 2019 | 10:58 pm PT

Guided-missile frigate HMAS Newcastle. Photo courtesy of Royal Australian Navy

An Australian guided-missile frigate and helicopter carrier will arrive in Cam Ranh Bay in central Vietnam for a four-day visit next week.

HMAS Newcastle and HMAS Canberra will have 800 officers and sailors on board during their visit from May 7 to 10.

The Australian crews will have exchanges with the Vietnamese navy and meet students in the resort town of Nha Trang for a mini English course.

The trip is part of the Australian Navy’s annual Indo-Pacific Endeavour, which seeks to promote defense cooperation in Australia's waters and establish multilateral and bilateral partnerships with other countries.

HMAS Newcastle is a long-range escort vessel, capable of air defense, surface and undersea warfare, surveillance, reconnaissance, and interdiction.

HMAS Canberra is the lead ship of the Canberra-class landing helicopter dock. At a length of 757 feet and a beam of 105 feet, it is the largest ship ever built for the Australian Navy. Its main duty is to perform humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.