Meet 2 young Vietnamese working on US aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan
Wednesday, June 28, 2023, 21:15 GMT+7
Among the over 5,000 crew members on the U.S. Navy’s aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan, which is making a port call to Da Nang City in central Vietnam, are two people of Vietnamese origin, Doan Nhat Huyen Tran and Carlos Nguyen, who consider the vessel's visit to Vietnam an opportunity to return to their motherland.
The aircraft carrier on Tuesday continued welcoming Vietnamese visitors.
After 20 minutes of traveling from the Tien Sa Port in Da Nang, the visitors boarded the over-100,000-metric-ton aircraft carrier.
They visited the cellar and the deck, where many fighter jets and helicopters are displayed.
The visitors were allowed to take photos and record videos but they were not permitted to touch or climb into the aircraft as they remain in use.
On the deck, U.S. pilots told them how aircraft take off from and land at the aircraft carrier.
A view of the U.S. aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan
Tran and Carlos were among those assigned to receive the visitors.
Carlos Nguyen is only 28 but he has worked for the U.S. Navy for eight years. This is the third time he has returned to Vietnam.
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| Carlos Nguyen shares that he has traveled to Vietnam three times. Photo: Duy Linh / Tuoi Tre |
“The first time was when I was young. The second time was when the U.S. aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt visited Vietnam in March 2020," he said.
“[USS Ronald Reagan] is the second aircraft carrier on which I have worked and both of them have visited Vietnam."
Carlos said he was excited although he had traveled to Vietnam three times before, as he gets another chance to mingle with Vietnamese culture.
His main job is to ensure the effective operations of aircraft mechanical equipment.
“I am proud to be a Vietnamese person on a U.S. aircraft carrier,” said Carlos.
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| Doan Nhat Huyen Tran attracts the attention of visitors as she always smiles during their visit to USS Ronald Reagan. Photo: Duy Linh / Tuoi Tre |
Meanwhile, Tran, 23, has worked for the U.S. Navy for two years.
She is a native of Nha Trang City in Khanh Hoa Province, located on the south-central coast of Vietnam.
Tran always expressed her interest in working on sea-going vessels when she was young but she never thought she would work on an aircraft carrier.
She said she is working as a technician providing support for the operation of aviation equipment on board the USS Ronald Reagan.
“My job is to maintain and repair aircraft moving equipment on the carrier and other devices to support the aircraft repair unit,” Tran added.
During the welcome of the visitors on Tuesday, Tran always smiled, listened carefully to the guests’ questions, and answered them clearly.
She said she was happy to return to Vietnam as a sailor on the U.S. aircraft carrier.
USS Ronald Reagan and guided-missile cruisers USS Antietam and USS Robert Smalls arrived in Da Nang on Sunday morning for a visit, which will last until Friday.
The carrier is more than 330 meters long and 76 meters wide and is able to carry 90 aircraft, mainly F/A-18 fighters.
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