Reporters were wowed not only by the mammoth size of the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier, which measures 332.8 meters long and 76.8 meters wide, but also the wide variety of modern armaments and fighter jets, which sit neatly on its deck.

The USS Carl Vinson is capable of carrying 90 airplanes at most, including 44-60 F/A-18 fighter jets, four to six EA-18G Growler electronic attack jets and E-2C/D Hawkeye tactical airborne early warning aircraft, six to eight SH-60F helicopters and cargo aircraft C-2 Greyhound.

Launched in 1982, USS Carl Vinson is the U.S. Navy’s third Nimitz-class supercarrier, with the call sign “Golden Eagle.”

The call sign features an eagle carrying a band reading, “Vis Per Mare,” or “Force by Sea.”

Even though it is not the biggest aircraft carrier of the U.S. Navy, USS Carl Vinson is still a pride of the American naval force.

Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper photojournalist Nguyen Khanh was among a few local reporters invited to tour the aircraft carrier, currently anchored some two nautical miles (3.7km) off Tien Sa Port in Da Nang for a March 5-9 visit.

The landmark port call, the first to be made since the war ended in 1975 and thus representing the biggest military presence of the U.S. in Vietnam since, is accompanied by guided missile cruiser USS Lake Champlain and destroyer USS Wayne E. Meyer.

USS Carl Vinson carries a crew of 3,000 sailors and 2,000 airborne staff. Photo: Nguyen Khanh/Tuoi Tre

Fighter jets line up on the deck of the USS Carl Vinson. The aircraft needs special techniques for takeoff and landing, given the short runway on the flight deck. Photo: Nguyen Khanh/Tuoi Tre

Da Nang is seen from afar from the USS Carl Vinson deck. Photo: Nguyen Khanh/Tuoi Tre

A U.S. military man is pictured on the USS Carl Vinson deck. Photo: Nguyen Khanh/Tuoi Tre

Delancey, 22, guides Vietnamese journalists through their tour on the USS Carl Vinson. Photo: Nguyen Khanh/Tuoi Tre

USS Carl Vinson crew members are pictured at work. Photo: Nguyen Khanh/Tuoi Tre

On March 5, some 3,000 military people left the USS Carl Vinson for the mainland in Da Nang, while a similar number of personnel remain to be on duty on board the carrier. Photo: Nguyen Khanh/Tuoi Tre

Sunset is observed from aboard the USS Carl Vinson. Photo: Nguyen Khanh/Tuoi Tre

A civil airplane is seen above the USS Carl Vinson. Photo: Nguyen Khanh/Tuoi Tre

Besides fighter jets, electronic attack jets and tactical airborne early warning aircraft can also be found on board the USS Carl Vinson. Photo: Nguyen Khanh/Tuoi Tre

Vietnamese border soldiers buy souvenirs at a booth on board the USS Carl Vinson. Photo: Nguyen Khanh/Tuoi Tre

The hangar deck is where crew members conduct mutual activities and repair armaments. Photo: Nguyen Khanh/Tuoi Tre

A U.S. soldier briefs Vietnamese journalists on some information about the USS Carl Vinson. Photo: Nguyen Khanh/Tuoi Tre

Crew members are seen when they leave the USS Carl Vinson for Da Nang mainland. Photo: Nguyen Khanh/Tuoi Tre

Crewman Paul Nguyen, 24, has both of his parents born in the southernmost Vietnamese province of Ca Mau. His recent trip to Vietnam was in 2010. Photo: Nguyen Khanh/Tuoi Tre

Nguyen Quang Vinh (L), deputy head of the foreign affair department under Vietnam’s defense ministry, shakes hands with Vice Admiral Phillips G. Sawyer, commander of the U.S. 7th Fleet, at a reception at Tien Sa Port in Da Nang on March 5, 2018. Photo: Nguyen Khanh/Tuoi Tre

A crewman takes a rest on board the USS Carl Vinson. Photo: Nguyen Khanh/Tuoi Tre

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