Khanh Hoa (VNA) – The US Navy’s 7th Fleet flagship USS Blue Ridge and US Coast Guard Cutter Waesche arrived at Cam Ranh International Port on July 8, starting a five-day visit to the south-central province of Khanh Hoa.
Leaders of the Naval Region 4 of the Vietnam People's Navy and Coast Guard Region 3, along with representatives of Khanh Hoa province and other Vietnamese agencies held a welcome ceremony for the visiting US crews.
Later on the same day, Commander of the 7th Fleet and leaders of the ships paid a courtesy call to leaders of the Khanh Hoa provincial People’s Committee.
Standing Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Le Huu Hoang emphasised the importance of the US ships’ visit as the US has celebrated the 248th anniversary of its Independence Day (July 4) and the two countries are marking 29 years since the normalisation of diplomatic ties (July 12, 1995 – 2024).
The visit is expected to further promote the friendship and comprehensive strategic partnership between Vietnam and the US, he said.
For his part, US Ambassador to Vietnam Marc Knapper affirmed that Khanh Hoa has organised various activities to contribute to the development of the US-Vietnam relationship.
The US will assist Khanh Hoa in attracting investment, especially in the fields of high technology and tourism, in the coming time, he added.
During the port visit, leaders of the 7th Fleet, USS Blue Ridge and CGC Waesche will also meet with the leaderships of the Vietnam People’s Navy and the Vietnam Coast Guard.
Crew members and the 7th Fleet staff will participate in professional expertise exchange events with units of the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defence, community activities and sport exchange events.
As the 7th Fleet flagship, Blue Ridge is the oldest operational ship in the US Navy. This is the second time USS Blue Ridge has come to Vietnam since the two countries established diplomatic relations in 1995./.
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