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Vietnam adds over 2 square km of land in South China Sea, US report says

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…

By Samantha Johnson / May 9, 2026
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 (2.16 square km) of land in the Spratly Islands, bringing its total reclaimed area to roughly 2,771 acres (11.2 square km), 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.

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The report, released on Friday, also noted Vietnam’s construction of specialised infrastructure at sites where land reclamation has been completed.

Barque Canada Reef seen from the window of a commercial aeroplane in 2018. Photo: Getty Images
Barque Canada Reef seen from the window of a commercial aeroplane in 2018. Photo: Getty Images

On Barque Canada Reef – now Vietnam’s largest outpost – a new land mass was completed in spring 2025, satellite imagery reveals. A navigation beacon system that has 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.

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