PRESS RELEASE

June 19, 2008

USNS Mercy Hospital Ship Arrives Off Vietnam for Pacific Partnership 2008

Nha Trang, Vietnam – The hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH 19) arrives off the coast of Vietnam on June 19 to visit Nha Trang in Khanh Hoa Province and cooperate with the Vietnamese government in medical, construction and engineering projects as a part of Pacific Partnership 2008 (PP08). Pacific Partnership 2008 is a multinational, multi-agency humanitarian assistance mission that is currently ongoing in the Asia Pacific region. This mission reflects the strengthening of the bilateral relationship between our two nations.

PP08 participants include volunteers from the non-governmental organizations (NGOs) East Meets West Foundation (EMWF), Operation Smile (OpSmile), Project Hope, and University of California San Diego (UCSD) Pre-Dental Society. Medical and engineering professionals from Australia, Canada, Republic of Korea, Singapore, and the U.S. military are participating. Medical personnel from Vietnam will work with the ship to provide medical care in partnership with their American and international counterparts.

During the visit, the Pacific Partnership team will visit schools, clinics, rehabilitation centers, and orphanages to conduct medical, dental and civic-action programs. The Pacific Fleet Band will give public musical performances.

One of the missions of the USNS Mercy is to provide mobile surgical hospital service for use in disaster or humanitarian relief missions or other peacetime military operations. USNS Mercy has participated in several deployments, including disaster relief operations in Indonesia following the 2004 tsunami. Mercy is currently deployed from its homeport of San Diego, Calif. and has been configured with special medical equipment and a multi-specialized medical team of uniformed and civilian health care providers to provide a range of services ashore for this deployment

Note to reporters: A pier-side welcome ceremony, immediately followed by a ship tour, media lunch, and interview opportunities with the three captains aboard the USNS Mercy is planned for June 19 at 10 AM. Other media events will include site visits to schools, clinics, and other locations aided by PP08, as well as visits by high-level U.S. and Vietnamese officials. International and local reporters who wish to cover the events, please register in advance with Mrs. Le Thi Thanh Hien, Press Assistant, US Consulate General in HCMC via e-mail: Letth@state.gov, cell phone: 0908019991. International media must also contact the Ho Chi Minh City-based Ministry of Foreign Affairs (ERO) to obtain appropriate permits. The US Consulate General can provide contact information if needed.

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