AS the United States enhances the implementation of its Indo-Pacific Strategy, it has been directing its focus on Vietnam. However, despite Washington's efforts to pull Vietnam to its side to confront and encircle Beijing militarily, Hanoi is unlikely to take the bait.

USS Ronald Reagan, a US nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, arrived in the central Vietnamese city of Da Nang on Sunday and will stay until Friday. It was the third visit by a US aircraft carrier to Vietnam since the end of the Vietnam War. By paying a rare visit to Da Nang, the US aircraft carrier is sending a strong signal to China: It is sailing into China's neighborhood to show off the US' strong military presence in the South China Sea and its influence in the region. In addition, this demonstrates Washington's desire to strengthen military relations with Hanoi.