More US aircraft arrive in Hanoi ahead of Biden's visit

The fourth aircraft landed at 9:30 a.m. and the fifth 10 a.m.

They were all parked at the hangars to unload for a couple hours.

The sixth C-17 is set to arrive at 4 p.m.

On Sep. 1, three C-17s carrying U.S. presidential vehicles and other equipment arrived in Hanoi.

Two Boeing C-17 Globemaster III transport aircraft are seen at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi on Sept. 3, 2023. Photo by VnExpress/Giang Huy

The C-17 Globemaster III is a heavyweight military aircraft developed by Berkeley-based aerospace manufacturing firm McDonnell Douglas at the end of the 1980s for strategic and tactical transportation, capable of carrying weapons and soldiers to any location in the world.

Each C-17 is 53 meters long.

U.S. President Joe Biden is scheduled to visit Vietnam on Sept. 10 and 11 upon the invitation of General Party Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong.

Vietnam's Foreign Affairs Ministry spokeswoman Pham Thu Hang confirmed the visit schedule in a statement on Tuesday, saying that: "We believe visits by leaders of the two countries will deepen Vietnam and U.S.'s relations, helping the relations grow stably, substantially and in the long term in all fields, contributing to maintaining peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region and the world."

The visit will be the first by President Biden since assuming office in early 2021, and will happen as the countries celebrate 10 years of Comprehensive Partnership.