Vietnam Insider – The U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Nimitz has abruptly departed the South China Sea and redirected its course toward the Middle East, canceling a planned port call in Vietnam, multiple sources confirmed on June 16.
The vessel was scheduled to arrive in Da Nang later this week, but the visit was canceled due to what officials described as an “urgent operational requirement.” The information was first shared on June 13 by Florian Feyerabend, Country Representative of the German Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS) in Vietnam, who cited a U.S. Embassy communication via a post on social platform X.
According to maritime tracking data reviewed by Reuters, the USS Nimitz was observed moving westward on Monday morning, in the direction of the Middle East—where tensions between Israel and Iran have rapidly escalated following days of reciprocal missile strikes.
While the U.S. Embassy in Hanoi has yet to issue an official comment, the redirection underscores the shifting priorities of U.S. military deployments amid mounting global security challenges.
Last week, the USS Nimitz Carrier Strike Group conducted maritime security operations in the South China Sea, described by the U.S. Pacific Fleet as part of its routine presence in the Indo-Pacific. The deployment was widely seen as a reaffirmation of U.S. commitment to regional stability and freedom of navigation.
The canceled Vietnam visit comes at a sensitive time, as Hanoi continues to deepen diplomatic and security ties with both Washington and Beijing. The move may also signal the increasing volatility of global U.S. naval operations as multiple crises unfold across regions.
Vietnam Insider will continue to follow developments as they unfold.
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Source: Vietnam Insider