The U.S. Navy’s 7th Fleet flagship USS Blue Ridge and U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Waesche arrived at Cam Ranh International Port on Monday afternoon, starting a five-day visit to Khanh Hoa Province, south-central Vietnam. 

Representatives of Naval Region 4 under the Vietnam People’s Navy, Coast Guard Region 3 under the Vietnam Coast Guard (VCG), the Khanh Hoa administration, and other Vietnamese agencies held a welcome ceremony for the visiting U.S. crews.

U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam Marc Knapper, the U.S. defense attaché, and other officials at the U.S Embassy were also present at the reception.

The leaders of the visiting ships later made a courtesy call to the Khanh Hoa administration officials.

On Monday evening, the USS Blue Ridge troupe treated locals to a music performance and exchange session at Tue Tinh Park in Nha Trang, the provincial capital, where they performed popular American songs such as 'Let's Go Crazy,' 'Separate Ways,' 'Hotel California,' 'I Wish,' and 'I'm Still Standing,' and especially a famous Vietnamese song – 'Cu Chill Thoi' (Let’s Chill).

Amid the locals' enthusiastic welcome, Captain John Robinson, the U.S. 7th Fleet's officer responsible for culture and mass communication, announced that the troupe will continue performing in the coming days at various meetings and parties during the visit, which lasts until July 12.

During their five-day stay, crew members of the two ships will participate in a professional expertise exchange session with units of the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defense.

They will also join community activities and sport exchange events, including a friendly football match with soldiers of Naval Region 4 and Coast Guard Region 3 at Cam Ranh International Port Stadium.

As part of their visit, leaders of the 7th Fleet, USS Blue Ridge, and Coast Guard Cutter Waesche will meet with the leadership of the Vietnam People’s Navy and the VCG, according to the website of the U.S. Pacific Fleet.

Standing deputy chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Le Huu Hoang emphasized the importance of the ships’ visit as the U.S. has celebrated the 248th anniversary of its Independence Day (July 4) and the two countries are marking 29 years since the normalization of diplomatic ties, the Vietnam News Agency reported. 

The port visit is expected to further promote the friendship and comprehensive strategic partnership between Vietnam and the U.S., he said.

The defense cooperation relationship between Vietnam and the U.S. has increasingly been strengthened and achieved positive results over the past years, according to the Khanh Hoa Department of External Relations.

The visit of the two U.S. ships will help further promote ties and exchanges between the two navies as well as defense relations between the two countries in general, in line with the traditional friendly relationship and the bilateral comprehensive strategic partnership set up in September last year, the department said.

Highly appreciating Khanh Hoa’s recent activities to contribute to the development of the Vietnam-U.S. relationship, Ambassador Knapper affirmed that the U.S. will assist Khanh Hoa in attracting foreign investment, especially in high technology and tourism, the Vietnam News Agency reported.

As the 7th Fleet flagship, Blue Ridge is the oldest operational ship in the U.S. Navy, and this is the second time the ship has come to Vietnam since the two countries established diplomatic relations in 1995, according to the U.S. Pacific Fleet.

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