An American nuclear-powered aircraft carrier is set to dock in Da Nang this week, in a visit analysts say shows the durability of US- Vietnam relations despite trade tensions and global upheaval. The USS George Washington, a Nimitz-class carrier currently deployed with the US Navy’s Seventh Fleet out of Yokosuka, Japan , is expected to call at the central Vietnamese port from Thursday to Monday, though officials have yet to confirm the exact date. It also showed that defence cooperation between the two countries had withstood “Trump’s tariffs and other issues”, he said. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio shakes hands with Vietnam’s Foreign Minister Le Hoai Trung before a meeting on the sidelines the Asean Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in the Philippines on Thursday. Photo: AFPThe port call comes as Vietnam and the US approach three years since formalising a comprehensive strategic partnership in September 2023, representing Hanoi’s highest level of diplomatic relations.