The United States and Vietnam launched a round of joint activities Aug. 8 as part of a commemoration of the 15th anniversary of normalized U.S.-Vietnamese ties in 1995. The United States sent nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS George Washington to Da Nang, Vietnam, on Aug. 8 to host talks with Vietnamese officials, and the guided missile destroyer USS John S. McCain arrived Aug. 10 to lead the first-ever joint naval exercises over four days, covering search and rescue, damage control, maintenance, emergency repair and firefighting operations. At the same time, the Vietnamese Foreign Ministry confirmed that Hanoi has entered bilateral negotiations with the United States over a civilian nuclear cooperation agreement, which has been rumored to involve the United States giving its blessing for Vietnam to enrich uranium on its own soil. (click here to enlarge image) The meeting comes amid heightened tensions over the U.S. presence in China's near abroad.