(DANANG, Vietnam) — For the first time since the Vietnam War, a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier is paying a visit to a Vietnamese port, seeking to bolster both countries’ efforts to stem expansionism by China in the South China Sea.

Monday’s visit by the USS Carl Vinson, accompanied by a cruiser and a destroyer, brings more than 6,000 crew members to the central coastal city of Danang, the largest such U.S. military presence in Vietnam since the Southeast Asian nation was unified under Communist leadership after the war ended in 1975.

The visit comes at a time when China is increasing its military buildup in the Paracel islands and seven artificial islands in the Spratlys in maritime territory also claimed by Vietnam. China claims most of the South China Sea and has challenged traditional U.S. naval supremacy in the western Pacific.

“The visit of aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson to Vietnam signifies an increased level of trust between the two former enemies, a strengthened defense relationship between them, and reflects America’s continued naval engagement with the region,” said Le Hong Hiep, a research fellow at the Singapore-based ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute.

Read more: ‘We’re Gonna Do What International Law Says We Can Do.’ Aboard the USS Carl Vinson in the South China Sea

The ships’ mission — a “friendship” visit that includes technical exchanges, sports matches and other community activities, according to Vietnamese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Le Thi Thu Hang — marks a fine-tuning, rather than a turning point in relations. The U.S. Navy has staged activities in Vietnam for its Pacific Partnership humanitarian and civic missions in nine of the past 12 years.

Hang said the visit would “continue to promote bilateral relations within the framework of the two countries’ comprehensive partnership and contribute to maintaining peace, stability, security, cooperation and development in the region.”

The United States normalized relations with Vietnam in 1995 and lifted an arms embargo in 2016, and the two former adversaries have steadily improved bilateral relations in all areas, including trade, investment and security.

The inclusion in this week’s visit of an aircraft carrier — a more than 100,000-ton manifestation of U.S. global military projection — reaffirms closer relations as Beijing flexes it political, economic and military muscle in Southeast Asia, and Washington seeks to re-establish its influence.

“Although the visit is mainly symbolic and would not be able to change China’s behavior, especially in the South China Sea, it is still necessary in conveying the message that the U.S. will be there to stay,” Hiep said.

Separately from this week’s mission, U.S. officials have said American warships continue sailing without prior notice close to China-occupied islands and atolls, an aggressive way of signaling to Beijing that it does not recognize its sovereignty over those areas.

Hiep said that the Carl Vinson’s visit is likely to irritate China, but that Beijing will not take it too seriously.

“They understand well the strategic rationale behind the rapprochement between Vietnam and the U.S., which was largely driven by China’s growing assertiveness in the South China Sea,” he said. “However, China also knows that Vietnam is unlikely to side with the U.S. militarily to challenge China.”

Vietnam, while traditionally wary of its huge northern neighbor, shares China’s system of single-party rule and intolerance for political dissent.

Economic relations with the United States in recent years have served as a counterbalance to Vietnam’s political affinity with China.

“The United States now is a very important trading partner with Vietnam and it is the most important destination of Vietnam’s exports,” said Joseph Cheng, a professor of political science at the City University of Hong Kong. “In terms of security, both countries certainly share substantial common interest in the containment of China in view of the territorial dispute between China and Vietnam.”

“However, it seems that Vietnam does not intend to become an ally of the United States. It is basically a kind of hedging strategy, a kind of balance of power strategy,” he said.

The first U.S. Marines arrived in Danang in 1965, marking the beginning of large-scale American involvement in the war, which ended in 1975 with the communist North’s victory, reunifying the country. Some 58,000 American soldiers and an estimated 3 million Vietnamese were killed in the war.

Danang, which was a major U.S. military base during the war, is now Vietnam’s third-largest city and is in the midst of a construction boom as dozens of resorts and hotels pop up along its scenic coastline.

Several Danang residents said Monday that they welcomed the Navy’s visit.

“During the war, I was scared when I saw American soldiers,” said Tran Thi Luyen, 55, who runs a small coffee shop in the city. “Now the aircraft carrier comes with a complete different mission, a mission of peace and promoting economic and military cooperation between the two countries.”

Huynh Quang Nguyen, a taxi driver, echoed the sentiment.

“I’m very happy and excited with the carrier’s visit,” he said. “Increased cooperation between the two countries in economic, diplomatic and military areas would serve as a counterbalance to Beijing’s expansionism.”

From Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway redeeming themselves as presenters to The Shape of Water taking home the trophy for “Best Picture,” the 90^th Academy Awards brought us an array of exciting moments. But there were many behind the scenes moments that didn’t make the broadcast. From Kobe Bryant declaring his victory “better than a basketball championship” to Frances McDormand commanding her second standing ovation of the night, here are eight backstage moments that you didn’t see on television.

1. Sam Rockwell walked backstage holding his Oscar in his left hand and a beer in his right, clutching both equally as tight. As he climbed up on the podium to field questions from the press, he raised his Oscar over his head, flashing a beaming grin, and taking a celebratory sip of his beer. At the end of Rockwell’s acceptance speech, he dedicated his win to Philip Seymour Hoffman, but the Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri star didn’t realize that his words about the late actor had made the telecast. When asked about the gesture, he smiled and said, “Oh. You heard that? Good! Because I thought the music was going.” Speaking about Hoffman made Rockwell fight back tears. “He was very close to me and he was an inspiration to all of my peers,” he said. “Whoever was in my age range, Phil Hoffman was the guy.” Rockwell also revealed that in addition to being a celebrated actor, producer and director, Hoffman was a talented athlete. “He was a bit of a jock. He was a wrestler and he played basketball. He inspired me and I could go on for an hour about Phil Hoffman,” he proclaimed.

Rockwell also touched on his award-winning performance as Jason Dixon in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, joking that in real life the characters would have had a very different finale. “They have a lot of work to do, Mildred and Dixon—it’s not like they are all of a sudden redeemed at the end of the movie—and maybe some therapy,” he said, referring to the movie as “a dark fairy tale.” “If it was real life, we would have probably both gone to prison. That’s sort of the way I see it,” noted Rockwell.

2. Nobody was as excited to win an Oscar as Kobe Bryant. After leaving the Academy Award stage, the 18-time NBA All-Star was almost out of breath with excitement when he took the podium in the pressroom. “I feel better than winning a championship to be honest with you. I swear I do!” he exclaimed. “You know growing up as a kid, I dreamt about winning championships and worked really hard to make that dream come true. But then to have something like this come seemingly out of left field [is amazing],” he said. Bryant added that when he first decided to transition from basketball into writing, he had a lot of people scoff. “I said I wanted to be a storyteller and I got a lot of ‘that’s cute. You’ll be depressed when your career is over and you’ll come back to playing.’ I got that a lot,” he says. But Bryant is happy to have proved the naysayers wrong. “To be here now and to have that sense of validation, this is crazy man! It’s crazy!” He also joked that the best part about winning an Oscar vs. an NBA championship is not having to sit in a tub of ice post victory.

Bryant also touched on how learning to write was a different mental process than becoming a hoop shooting mastermind: “When you’re playing basketball, the hardest thing to do is to get out of the way of yourself—to try to disassociate any sense of ego that you have to perform. With writing, it feels like you have to get in a deeper connection with yourself—to better understand the fears and insecurities that are going on below the surface so that in turn you can better communicate those,” he said.

His advice for retired athletes? “Find the thing that you love to do. I wake up in the morning and I can’t wait to write. I can’t wait to get to the studio. When you find the thing that you love to do, everything else tends to make sense,” he says.

The retired NBA star divulged that he and Dear Basketball director Glen Keane have been working on a series of five original novels and that when he first had the idea to start a studio, he phoned Oprah. “She was very gracious enough to spend an hour and some change on the phone with me, walking me through every step of the way. I cannot thank her enough for that.”

3. Frances McDormand brought The Oscars ballroom to its feet and it stayed there well after her speech. And very much in line with her moment of #GirlPower, when she asked the female nominees in attendance to stand, McDormand’s category mates showed their love and appreciation for one another. When the show went to commercial break, Sally Hawkins, Margot Robbie, Saoirse Ronan and Meryl Streep all embraced in one giant adorable group hug. They then took turns embracing each other individually and chatting with one another. There was lots of laughing and a rainbow of smiles. Nicole Kidman wasn’t in the category but she too wanted in on the action. After Streep took her seat, Kidman kicked off her high heels to snuggle up next to The Post actress and the duo began chatting away.

4. Speaking of taking your shoes off, the pumps were the first thing to go as Allison Janney arrived backstage. “I have to take my shoes off,” she proclaimed. She proceeded to do a quick Vanna White and show off her gown. “So usually my dress looks like this but my feet are bleeding,” she proclaimed, before playfully parting ways with her heels. The I,Tonya actress revealed that she has to be at a table read for her CBS show Mom on Monday morning at 10 a.m. and that going back to work was going to be her saving grace.

“I am so happy that I have a job to go to after something like this because it can go to your head. And then to wake up tomorrow and have this whole thing be over, I’m going to have a big crash down after this. So I’m happy that I have the people at Mom to lift me up and keep me going and keep me focused. I’m just happy to have a job to go to tomorrow but this was extraordinary!” she exclaimed.

Janney, who has spoken in the past about almost quitting acting in her early years, revealed that she didn’t “dare to dream” about things like winning an Oscar. “I didn’t want to be disappointed. At a certain point, I had given up thinking this would happen to me because I didn’t get the types of roles that would give me attention like this,” she revealed. But when asked what her inner voice was telling her at this moment, she smiled and said, “Bravo! Good going girl! I’m proud of you.”

Janney raved about I, Tonya screenwriter Steven Rogers for creating such a fitting part for her. To show her appreciation, she’s going to buy him a nice gift. “I think I’m going to get him a Rolex and engrave it on the back,” she said. “I haven’t figured out what. But I need to get him a great present. That’s a start at least!”

5. Frances McDormand got a second standing ovation when she made her way into the Oscars pressroom. “Don’t give me any more attention because it will all go to my head,” she said, with a laugh. The Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri star then proceeded to explain what she meant when she referenced “inclusion riders” in her acceptance speech: “I just found out about this last week. There has always been available to everybody that does a negotiation on a film an inclusion rider, which says that you can ask for or demand at least 50 percent diversity in not only the casting but also the crew. And so, the fact that we — that I just learned that after 35 years of being in the film business, it’s not — we’re not going back.” she said. The actress also touched on how happy she is to see the diversity movement taking off.

“The whole idea of women trending? Not trending. African-Americans trending? Not trending. It changes now. And I think the inclusion rider has something to do with that. Power in rules!” she explained.

6. Even though many predicted that Guillermo del Toro would win the Oscar for Best Director, The Shape of Water director revealed backstage that he didn’t prepare a speech ahead of time. “The only time I wrote a speech was in the beginning and I pulled out the paper and I couldn’t read it. I was sweating into my eyes,” he said. As far as the words he exchanged on stage tonight, del Toro says he was speaking from his heart and releasing whatever he was feeling in that moment. And though he got to thank a lot of people, the renowned director joked that he didn’t get to everyone that was on his list. What would he have added to his speech, had he had more time? “I have a lot of cousins, man!” he proclaimed. As far as what he’s doing next, del Toro is taking a pause. “My next stop is I’m going to see my mom and my dad next week. I’m going back home with this too!” he said, as he proudly held his Oscar out for the room of reporters to see.

7. Jordan Peele almost didn’t become a director. “I almost never became a director because there was such a shortage of role models,” he revealed, backstage at the Oscars. “We had, John Singleton, the Hughes Brothers, but they felt like the exception to the rule. I’m so proud to be a part of the beginning of a movement where I feel like the best films in every genre are being brought to me by my fellow black directors. It’s very special and I think that goes for all areas of inclusion. This is a very special time,” he said.

Peele also told the room that the person that he really credits as motivating him to take the leap was Whoopi Goldberg. “When the nominations came out, I had this amazing feeling of looking at the 12-year-old that had this burning in my gut for this type of validation and it instantly realized that an award like this is much bigger than me. This is about paying it forward to the young people who might not believe that  they could achieve the highest honor in whatever craft they push for. You’re not a failure if you don’t get this but I almost didn’t do it because I didn’t know there was a place for me. Whoopi Goldberg in her acceptance speech for Ghost was a huge inspiration to me. When I got nominated, one of the first things I did was reach out and thank her for telling young people they could do this. I’m hoping to do the same,” he said.

8. And Gary Oldman, the man of the hour, said winning his first Oscar was extra special since it was for Darkest Hour. “It feels like it has a special significance. I can’t say what it would be like to win an Oscar any other year but winning an Oscar for playing arguably one of the greatest Brits who ever lived, to win it for playing Winston makes it undoubtedly special.” He called working on the film “an unforgettable experience and a highlight of my career.”

Oldman laughed when a reporter asked him what he thought that Churchill would say to the politicians of today, if her were still alive. “My God. He would give them a good talking to wouldn’t he?” he said, with a laugh, noting that none of today’s leaders look at history. “[Winston] was a big believer that you looked at history to move forward. There was a survey done and young people were asked about Winston Churchill. Many of them thought he was a soldier in the first World War or a dog in a TV commercial in Britain. We don’t teach history anymore do we? They don’t know anything about it,” he said.

Oldman also revealed that having put himself in Churchill’s mindset during the time period of the film made him question how the former UK Prime Minster could sleep at night. “When you are in a position like Winston was in 1940 in the movie where he sends 4,000 men to their death to save 300,000…. I don’t know how you then sleep soundly in your bed on the evening of the day when you send 4,000 innocent men to their death.”