Cam Ranh Bay Back in the news

Changing times: Door may open to US military at former Vietnam War hub
Stars and Stripes
By Erik Slavin
Published: June 18, 2014

YOKOSUKA NAVAL BASE, Japan — The United States flag once flew over 25,000 acres of airfield and port facilities at Cam Ranh Bay, one of the military’s largest bases at the height of the Vietnam War.

Although it is doubtful that the valuable South China Sea port would be shared by U.S. forces, a hearty welcome from Vietnam to visiting U.S. warships and aircraft is growing increasingly likely.

When China moved a $1 billion oil rig in May into waters claimed by Vietnam, the ensuing sea standoff accelerated a warming U.S.-Vietnam military relationship like few other events could have, defense analysts and diplomats told Stars and Stripes following a regional security summit this month.

China’s claim to about 90 percent of the South China Sea, largely based on what it calls historical discoveries, threatens Vietnamese claims to resource-rich waters and islands near their continental shelf. Although the U.S. takes no position on territorial sovereignty, Vietnam’s interests — along with those of several other nations bordering the South China Sea — align with U.S. principles of freedom of navigation and international law.
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