U.S. aircraft carrier to visit Vietnam next year: Pentagon

A U.S. aircraft carrier will visit Vietnam next year, the Pentagon said in a statement on Tuesday, in a sign of improving relations between the two countries.

U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and Vietnamese Minister of National Defense Ngo Xuan Lich agreed to the carrier's visit in a meeting at the Pentagon on Tuesday, the statement said.

It is believed to be the first visit by a U.S. aircraft carrier since the Vietnam War ended in 1975.

U.S. President Donald Trump discussed the possibility of a U.S. carrier visit with Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc when the two leaders met in May at the White House, Vietnam's government said at the time.

(REUTERS)