HANOI/BEIJING (Bloomberg): Vietnam has expanded its outposts in the South China Sea by hundreds of acres over the past year, according to a new report, as Hanoi and Beijing race to reinforce competing territorial claims through land reclamation.
Vietnam has added about 534 acres of land in the Spratly Islands, bringing its total reclaimed area to roughly 2,771 acres, according to the Washington-based Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative. While Hanoi had appeared to be narrowing the gap with China early last year, Beijing has since extended its lead.
The report, released Friday, also noted Vietnam’s construction of specialized infrastructure at sites where land reclamation has been completed.
On Barque Canada Reef - now Vietnam’s largest outpost - a new landmass was completed in spring 2025, satellite imagery reveals. A navigation beacon system that’s since been installed there is "strikingly similar” to those at China’s Spratly airstrips, and could support navigation for aircraft within a 100-nautical-mile radius, the report says.
Beijing’s buildup is far larger. Reclamation at Antelope Reef has likely made it the largest island in the South China Sea, pushing China’s totals to about 5,460 acres of artificial land and 6,224 acres of reef destruction.
Vietnam is still adding landfill at several smaller sites where initial dredging activities began at the end of last year, according to the report. Meantime, there have been notable infrastructure developments on the larger, more developed reefs.
The dispute between Hanoi and Beijing is rooted in longstanding, competing claims over the Paracel and Spratly Islands. China asserts sovereignty over most of the South China Sea via its "nine-dash line,” while Vietnam cites claims dating back to the 17th century.
Still, Chinese President Xi Jinping vowed closer ties with Vietnam during a meeting with his counterpart, To Lam, in Beijing last month.
--With assistance from Francesca Stevens. -- ©2026 Bloomberg L.P.
