U.S. carrier docks in Vietnam amid trade tensions and Iran conflict

The USS George Washington reached Da Nang on July 30 — the fifth U.S. carrier visit since 2018. The call went ahead despite Trump-era tariffs and Iran war pressures. Vietnam and the U.S. formalized a comprehensive strategic partnership in 2023; Hanoi maintains U.S. defense ties as one pillar of its multi-vector foreign policy, balancing relations across competing powers.