Crew members from USNS Mercy - a United States Navy hospital ship - joined teams from Vietnamese organizations in a marine rescue exercise in southern Vietnam on Tuesday, as part of the vessel’s visit to the Southeast Asian country.

The event took place at a beach in Nha Trang, the capital city of Khanh Hoa Province, where USNS Mercy has been docked since arriving on May 17 for the Vietnam leg of the Pacific Partnership Program 2018 (PP18) tour, slated to last until June 2.

Crew members from the USNS Mercy were joined by the municipal sea rescue team and Surf Life Saving Vietnam, an NGO which works to prevent drowning and improve aquatic management along the coast.

The U.S. Navy sailors held two sessions to present drowning treatments and other skills to the Vietnamese teams before participants from both countries engaged in the planned exercises, including a guided rescue of mock-drowning victims.

USNS Mercy crew members and Vietnamese lifesavers carry people during a drill in Khanh Hoa Province, Vietnam, May 22, 2018. Photo: Tuoi Tre

A lifesaver carries a mock-drowning victim during a drill in Khanh Hoa Province, Vietnam, May 22, 2018. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Douglass Jackson, a trainer aboard the USNS Mercy, said the swimming and rescue skills of the Vietnamese lifesavers were relatively good.

The exercise’s chief purpose, he added, was to improve the ability to quickly perform rescue and cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

Men run on a beach in Khanh Hoa Province, Vietnam, May 22, 2018. Photo: Tuoi Tre

A man helps a mock-drowning victim during a drill in Khanh Hoa Province, Vietnam, May 22, 2018. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Lifesavers hurry to save mock-drowning victims during a drill in Khanh Hoa Province, Vietnam, May 22, 2018. Photo: Tuoi Tre

A USNS Mercy instructor gives directions to lifesavers during a drill in Khanh Hoa Province, Vietnam, May 22, 2018. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Morgan Butler, a USNS Mercy crew member. Photo: Tuoi Tre

USNS Mercy crew members and Vietnamese lifesavers show off before a drowning drill in Khanh Hoa Province, Vietnam, May 22, 2018. Photo: Tuoi Tre

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