US aircraft carrier visits Vietnam, second in two years

It docked at Tien Sa Port along with cruiser USS Bunker Hill. The carrier has 5,000 crew members and the cruiser more than 1,000.

They have come for a five-day visit at a time when Vietnam and the U.S. celebrate 25 years of diplomatic relations.

During their stay in Da Nang, officers and crew members will attend various meetings and events, play sports with their Vietnamese naval counterparts and take part in community activities.

City officials and reporters will be invited for a tour of the aircraft carrier.

But visitors will be checked for Covid-19 and anyone who has traveled through or from China or had direct contact with infected patients will not be allowed on board.

The Theodore Roosevelt was the fourth Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier to be acquired by the U.S. Navy.

It is 1,092 feet (332.8 meters) long, has a displacement of 117,000 tons and can carry 90 aircraft.

Two years ago the USS Carl Vinson visited Da Nang for five days.

That visit marked a milestone in diplomatic ties between the two former enemies. It was the first time a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier docked in Vietnam, four decades after the end of the Vietnam War.

The event attracted global attention.