Carl Vinson, the aircraft carrier of US navy is visiting Vietnam today for the first time since the Vietnam War ended when a ship of this size went to the country. The visit is a way to demonstrate the intensification of military ties between the nations.
Experts see the visit as not only a military boost but also a way to exchange cultures between the two nations.
But analysts say it inevitably sends a message to China as it continues to develop the disputed South China Sea.
The visit is happening when neighbouring China asserts most of the South China Sea and is enhancing its military spend.
According to diplomats, Vietnamese envoys have been trying to simplify the apprehension of China over the visit and the probability of elaborate security cooperation between Hanoi and Washington.