Vietnam is slated to receive a decommissioned coast guard vessel from the United States in 2020 for use in patrols in the South China Sea.
US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper confirmed during a recent visit to Hanoi that the vessel will be a Hamilton-class cutter. However, he did not state which one of the three ships in the class still on active duty with the US Coast Guard will be handed over to the Southeast Asian country.
The vessel will be the second Hamilton-class cutter to be handed over to the Vietnam Coast Guard after ex-USCGC Morgenthau (pictured), which was transferred in 2017.
