Spratly Islands

Disputed islands
Spratly Islands
Geography
Location	South China Sea
Coordinates	10°N 114°E / 10°N 114°E / 10; 114Coordinates: 10°N 114°E / 10°N 114°E / 10; 114
Total islands	over 750
Major islands	Taiping Island Namyit Island Northeast Cay Sin Cowe Island Southwest Cay Spratly Island Swallow Reef Thitu Island West York Island
Area	less than 5 square kilometres (1.9 sq mi)
Coastline	926 kilometres (575 mi)
Highest point	on Southwest Cay 4 metres (13 ft)
Administered by
Claimed by
Brunei
EEZ	Brunei zone
Malaysia
State	Sabah
Philippines
Municipality	Kalayaan
People's Republic of China
County	Administration Office for Xisha Islands, Zhongsha Islands and Nansha Islands
Republic of China (Taiwan)
Municipality	Kaohsiung
Vietnam
Province	Khanh Hoa
Demographics
Population	no indigenous population
Ethnic groups	various

The Spratly Islands are a group of more than 750 reefs,^[1] islets, atolls, cays and islands in the South China Sea. The archipelago lies off the coasts of the Philippines and Malaysia (Sabah), about one third of the way from there to southern Vietnam. They contain less than four square kilometers of land area spread over more than 425,000 square kilometers of sea. The Spratlys are one of three archipelagos of the South China Sea which comprise more than 30,000 islands and reefs and which complicate governance and economics in that region of Southeast Asia. Such small and remote islands have little economic value in themselves, but are important in establishing international boundaries. There are no native islanders but there are, at least for now, rich fishing grounds; and initial surveys indicate the islands may contain significant reserves of oil and natural gas.

About 45 islands are occupied by relatively small numbers of military forces from Vietnam, the People's Republic of China, the Republic of China (Taiwan), Malaysia and the Philippines. Brunei has also claimed an EEZ in the southeastern part of the Spratlys encompassing just one area of small islands above mean high water (on Louisa Reef.)

Geographic and economic overview[link]

• Coordinates: 10°N 114°E / 10°N 114°E / 10; 114 (Spratly Island)
• Area (land based): less than 5 km² - includes 148 or so islets, coral reefs, and seamounts.

(sea surface): 410,000 km² of the central South China Sea

• Coastline: 926 km
• Political divisions: (in alphabetic order of claimants)
  • Brunei: Part of Brunei's Exclusive Economic Zone;^[2]
  • People's Republic of China: Part of Hainan province;
  • Malaysia: Part of the state of Sabah;
  • Philippines: Part of Palawan province;
  • Republic of China (Taiwan): Part of Kaohsiung municipality;
  • Vietnam: Part of Khánh Hòa Province.

• Climate: tropical
• Terrain: flat
• Elevation extremes:
  • lowest point: South China Sea (0 m)
  • highest point: unnamed location on Southwest Cay (4 m)
• Natural hazards: serious maritime hazards because of numerous banks, reefs and shoals

The islands are most likely volcanic in origin.^[3] The islands themselves contain almost no significant arable land and have no indigenous inhabitants, although twenty of the islands, including Taiping Island, the largest, are considered to be able to sustain human life. Natural resources include fish, guano, undetermined oil and natural gas potential. Economic activity includes commercial fishing, shipping, and tourism. The proximity to nearby oil- and gas-producing sedimentary basins suggests the potential for oil and gas deposits, but the region is largely unexplored, and there are no reliable estimates of potential reserves. Commercial exploitation of hydrocarbons has yet to be developed. The Spratly Islands have at least three fishing ports, several docks and harbors, at least three heliports, at least four territorial rigging style outposts (especially due west of Namyit Island),^[4] and six to eight airstrips.These islands are strategically located near several primary shipping lanes.

Ecology[link]

Coral reefs[link]

Coral reefs are the predominant structure of these islands; the Spratly group contains over 600 coral reefs in total.^[1]

Vegetation[link]

Little vegetation grows on these islands, which are subject to intense monsoons.^[1] Larger islands are capable of supporting tropical forest, scrub forest, coastal scrub and grasses.^[1] It is difficult to determine which species have been introduced or cultivated by humans.^[1] Taiping Island was reportedly covered with shrubs, coconut, and mangroves in 1938; pineapple was also cultivated here when it was profitable.^[1] Other accounts mention papaya, banana, palm, and even white peach trees growing on one island.^[1] A few islands which have been developed as small tourist resorts have had soil and trees brought in and planted where there were none.^[1]

Wildlife[link]

The islands that do have vegetation provide important habitats for many seabirds and sea turtles.^[1]

Both the Green Turtle (Chelonia mydas, endangered) and the Hawksbill Turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata, critically endangered) formerly occurred in numbers sufficient to support commercial exploitation.^[1] These species reportedly continue to nest even on islands inhabited by military personnel (such as Pratas) to some extent, though it is believed that their numbers have declined.^[1]

Seabirds use the islands for resting, breeding, and wintering sites.^[1] Species found here include Streaked Shearwater (Calonectris leucomelas), Brown Booby (Sula leucogaster), Red-Footed Booby (S. sula), Great Crested Tern (Sterna bergii), and White Tern (Gygis alba).^[1] Little information is available regarding current status of the islands’ seabird populations, though it is likely that birds may divert nesting site to smaller, less disturbed islands. Bird eggs cover the majority of Song Tu, a small island in the eastern Danger Zone.^[1]

Unfortunately, this ecoregion is still largely a mystery.^[1] Scientists have focused their research on the marine environment, while the ecology of the terrestrial environment remains relatively unknown.^[1]

Ecological hazards[link]

Political instability, tourism and the increasing industrialization of neighboring countries has led to serious disruption of native flora and fauna, over-exploitation of natural resources, and environmental pollution.^[1] Disruption of nesting areas by human activity or by introduced animals, such as dogs, has reduced the number of turtles nesting on the islands.^[1] Sea turtles are also slaughtered for food on a significant scale.^[1] The sea turtle is a symbol of longevity in Chinese customs and at times the military personnel are given orders to protect the turtles.^[1]

Heavy commercial fishing in the region incurs other problems. Though it has been outlawed, fishing methods continue to include the use of bottom trawls fitted with chain rollers.^[1] In addition, during a recent routine patrol, more than 200 kg of Potassium cyanide solution was confiscated from fishermen who had been using it for fish poisoning. These activities have a devastating impact on local marine organisms and coral reefs.^[1]

Some interest has been taken in regard to conservation of these island ecosystems.^[1] J.W. McManus has explored the possibilities of designating portions of the Spratly Islands as a marine park.^[1] One region of the Spratly Archipelago, called Truong Sa, was proposed by Vietnam’s Ministry of Science, Technology and the Environment (MOSTE) as a future protected area.^[1] The 160 km² site is currently managed by the Khanh Hoa Provincial People’s Committee of Vietnam.^[1]

Military groups in the Spratlys have engaged in environmentally damaging activities such as shooting turtles and seabirds, raiding nests, and fishing with explosives.^[1] The collection of rare medicinal plants, collecting of wood and hunting for the wildlife trade are common threats to the biodiversity of the entire region, including these islands.^[1] Coral habitats are threatened by pollution, over-exploitation of fish and invertebrates, and the use of explosives and poisons as fishing techniques.^[1]

History[link]

Early cartography[link]

The first possible human interaction with the Spratly Islands dates back between 600 BCE to 3 BCE. This is based on the theoretical migration patterns of the people of Nanyue (southern China and northern Vietnam) and Old Champa kingdom who may have migrated from Borneo, which may have led them through the Spratly Islands.^[5]

Ancient Chinese maps record the "Thousand Li Stretch of Sands"; Qianli Changsha (千里長沙) and the "Ten-Thousand Li of Stone Pools"; Wanli Shitang (萬里石塘),^[6] which China today claims refers to the Spratly Islands. The Wanli Shitang have been explored by the Chinese since the Yuan Dynasty and may have been considered by them to have been within their national boundaries. ^[7][8] They are also referenced in the 13th century,^[9] followed by the Ming Dynasty.^[10] When the Ming Dynasty collapsed, the Qing Dynasty continued to include the territory in maps compiled in 1724,^[11] 1755,^[12] 1767,^[13] 1810,^[14] and 1817.^[15] A Vietnamese map from 1834 also includes the Spratly Islands clumped in with the Paracels (a common occurrence on maps of that time) labeled as "Wanli Changsha".^[16]

According to Hanoi, old Vietnamese maps record Bãi Cát Vàng (Golden Sandbanks, referring to both Paracels and the Spratly Islands) which lay near the Coast of the central Vietnam as early as 1838.^[17] In Phủ Biên Tạp Lục (Frontier Chronicles) by the scholar Le Quy Don, Hoàng Sa and Trường Sa were defined as belonging to Quảng Ngãi District. He described it as where sea products and shipwrecked cargoes were available to be collected. Vietnamese text written in the 17th century referenced government-sponsored economic activities during the Le Dynasty, 200 years earlier. The Vietnamese government conducted several geographical surveys of the islands in the 18th century.^[17]

Despite the fact that China and Vietnam both made a claim to these territories simultaneously, at the time, neither side was aware that their neighbor had already charted and made claims to the same stretch of islands.^[17]

The islands were sporadically visited throughout the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries by mariners from different European powers (including Richard Spratly, after whom the island group derives its most recognizable English name).^[18] However, these nations showed little interest in the islands.

British naval captain James George Meads in the 1870s laid claim to the islands proclaiming a micronation called Republic of Morac-Songhrati-Meads. Descendants of Meads have continued to claim legitimacy over the islands, and continue to attempt to claim ownership of the island's resources.^[19][20][21]

In 1883, German boats surveyed the Spratly and Paracel Islands but withdrew the survey eventually after receiving protests from Guangdong government representing Qing Dynasty. Many European maps before the 20th century do not even make mention of this region.^[22]

Military conflict and diplomatic dialogues[link]

Map depicting China's territory in South China Sea, by Ministry of the Interior, ROC, 1947

A european colonies map depicting Spratly islands as colonial Vietnam's territory

In 1933, France asserted its claims from 1887^[23] to the Spratly and Paracel Islands on behalf of its then-colony Vietnam.^[24] It occupied a number of the Spratly Islands, including Taiping Island, built weather stations on two, and administered them as part of French Indochina. This occupation was protested by the Republic of China government because France admitted finding Chinese fishermen there when French warships visited the nine islands.^[25] In 1935, the ROC government also announced a sovereignty claim on the Spratly Islands. Japan occupied some of the islands in 1939 during World War II, and used the islands as a submarine base for the occupation of Southeast Asia. During the occupation, these islands were called Shinnan Shoto (新南諸島), literally the New Southern Islands, and put under the governance of Taiwan together with the Paracel Islands (西沙群岛). In 1945, The Republic of China sent its Naval ships to take control of the islands after the surrender of Japan. It had chosen the largest and perhaps the only inhabitable island, Taiping Island, as its base, and renamed the island under the name of the naval vessel as Taiping. The KMT force of Republic Of China briefly abandoned the islands after its defeat in China's civil war in 1949, but re-established the base in 1956. Today, Taiping Island is still administered by the Republic of China.

Following the defeat of Japan at the end of World War II, China re-claimed the entirety of the Spratly Islands (including Taiping Island), accepting the Japanese surrender on the islands based on the Cairo and Potsdam Declarations. The ROC government withdrew from most of the Spratly and Paracel Islands after they retreated to Taiwan from the opposing Communist Party of China, which founded the People's Republic of China in 1949.^[24] ROC quietly withdrew troops from Taiping Island in 1950, but reinstated them in 1956 in response to Tomas Cloma's sudden claim to the island as part of Freedomland.^[26]

Japan renounced all claims to the islands in the 1951 San Francisco Peace Treaty, together with the Paracels, Pratas & other islands captured from China, upon which China reasserted its claim to the islands.

It was unclear whether France continued its claim to the islands after WWII, since none of the islands other than Taiping Island is habitable. The South Vietnamese government took over the Trường Sa administration after the defeat of the French at the end of the First Indochina War. In 1958, the People's Republic of China issued a declaration defining its territorial waters, which encompassed the Spratly Islands. North Vietnam's prime minister, Pham Van Dong, sent a formal note to Zhou Enlai, stating that the Government of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam respects the decision by China regarding the 12 nautical mile limit of territorial waters.^{[citation needed]} One important fact is that the letter while accepting the 12 nautical mile principal for the limit of territorial waters of China, has never mentioned a word about how the territorial boundary was defined and thus leaving the dispute on South China Sea islands as its status quo for later settlement. In an interview with BBC, Dr. Balazs Szalontai provided an insight into this issue:

"The general context of the Chinese declaration was the United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea, held in 1956, and the resulting treaties signed in 1958, such as the Convention on the Territorial Sea and Contiguous Zone. Understandably, the PRC government, though not being a member of the U.N., also wanted to have a say in how these issues were dealt with. Hence the Chinese declaration of September 1958. In these years, North Vietnam could hardly afford to alienate Communist comrad China. The Soviet Union did not give any substantial support to Vietnamese reunification, and neither South Vietnamese leader Ngo Dinh Diem nor the U.S. government showed readiness to give consent to the holding of all-Vietnamese elections as stipulated by the Geneva Agreements. On the contrary, Diem did his best to suppress the Communist movement in the South. This is why Pham Van Dong felt it necessary to take sides with China, whose tough attitude toward the Asian policies of the U.S. offered some hope. And yet he seems to have been cautious enough to make a statement that supported only the principle that China was entitled for 12-mile territorial seas along its territory but evaded the issue of defining this territory. While the preceding Chinese statement was very specific, enumerating all the islands (including the Paracels and the Spratlys) for which the PRC laid claim, the DRV statement did not say a word about the concrete territories to which this rule was applicable. Still, it is true that in this bilateral territorial dispute between Chinese and Vietnamese interests, the DRV standpoint, more in a diplomatic than a legal sense, was incomparably closer to that of China than to that of South Vietnam".^{[27][unreliable source?]}

Some international scholars argued that, Pham Van Dong who represented North Vietnam at that time has no legal right to comment on a territorial part which belonged to the South Vietnam represented by Ngo Dinh Diem. Therefore, the letter has no legal value and is considered as a diplomatic document to show the support of the government of North Vietnam to the PRC at that time.^{[verification needed]} In 2004, Vietnam issued a white paper saying, in part,

Vietnam has sufficient historical evidence and legal basis to assert its indisputable sovereignty over the territorial waters and islands of Vietnam in the East Sea, among them the Paracels and Spratlys. Nevertheless, for the common security interests of the parties concerned, Vietnam is ready to enter into peaceful negotiations to settle the problem, first and foremost by reaching an agreement on the "Code of Conduct" pending the final solution.^[28]

On May 23, 2011, Philippine President Benigno Aquino III warned the Chinese defense minister of a possible arms race in the region if tensions worsened over disputes in the South China Sea. Aquino said he told visiting Chinese Defense Minister Liang Guanglie in their meeting that such an arms race could result if there were more encounters in the disputed and potentially oil-rich Spratly islands.^[29]

In May 2011, Chinese naval vessels opened fire on Vietnamese fishing vessels operating off East London Reef (Da Dong Island). Three military vessels were numbered 989, 27 and 28. They showed up with a small group of Chinese fishing vessels. Another Vietnamese fishing vessel was fired on near Cross (Chu Thap) Island. The Chief Commander of Border Guards in Phu Yen Province, Vietnam reports that a total of four Vietnamese vessels were fired upon by Chinese naval vessels.^{[verification needed]} This attack by Chinese forces sparked mass protests in Vietnam, especially in the capital Hanoi and Saigon^[30], and in various Vietnamese communities in the West (namely in Westminster, California in the U.S. and Paris, France over attacks on Vietnamese citizens and intrusion into what Vietnam claims as part of their territory. ^[31]

In June 2011, the Philippines renamed the South China Sea and the Reed Bank as the West Philippine Sea and the Recto Bank.^{[32][verification needed]}

Telecommunications[link]

In 2005, a cellular phone base station was erected by the Philippines' Smart Communications on Pag-asa Island.^[33]

On 18 May 2011, China Mobile announced that its mobile phone coverage has expanded to the Spratly Islands. The extended coverage would allow soldiers stationed on the islands, fishermen, and merchant vessels within the area to use mobile services, and can also provide assistance during storms and sea rescues. The service network deployment over the islands took nearly one year.^[34]

Gallery[link]

• 

  An ancient Heliotropium foertherianum on Spratly Island

• 

  Spratly Island

• 

  Military cemetery on Central London Reef

• 

  View from Amboyna Cay

• 

  The dock on Pearson Reef

See also[link]

• Administration Office for Xisha Islands, Zhongsha Islands and Nansha Islands
• List of islands in the South China Sea
• Khanh Hoa province, Vietnam
• Johnson South Reef Skirmish
• South China Sea Islands
• Paracel Islands
• Kingdom of Humanity
• Junk Keying
• Zheng He
• Kalayaan, Palawan, Philippines
• SSN, a computer game set during a conflict over the Spratly Islands.

References[link]

Further reading[link]

• Dzurek, Daniel J. and Clive H.Schofield. The Spratly Islands dispute: who's on first?. IBRU; 1996. ISBN 978-1-897643-23-5
• C.Michael Hogan (2011) South China Sea Topic ed. P.Saundry. Ed.-in-chief C.J.Cleveland. Encyclopedia of Earth. National Council for Science and the Environment. Washington DC
• Mike Spick. Dangerous Ground!, Air Forces Monthly, December 1993

External links[link]

• Spratly Islands travel guide from Wikitravel
• Mariner's page of the Spratly Islands
• Taiwanese List with ~170 entries
• List of atolls with areas
• Satellite images of all islands and reefs of the Spratly Islands.
• Flags of the World (FOTW) entry with various micronations on the Spratly Islands.
• Map showing the claims
• A tabular summary about the Spratly and Paracel Islands
• Another overview table of the Spratly Islands
• CIA World Factbook for Spratly Islands
• Vietnamese claimsPDF (1.70 MiB), from Vietnam Ministry of Foreign Affairs
• The Dotted Line on the Chinese Map of the South China Sea: A NotePDF (150 KiB)
• Third Party Summary of the Dispute
• Google Map of Spratly Islands
• Wikimedia Atlas of the Spratly Islands
• Ji Guoxing (October 1995) (PDF), Maritime Jurisdiction in the Three China Seas: Options For Equitable Settlement, Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation, http://repositories.cdlib.org/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1051&context=igcc. 
• A collection of documents on Spratly and Paracel Islands by Nguyen Thai Hoc Foundation

Vietnam People's Navy Hải quân nhân dân Việt Nam
Flag of Vietnam People's Navy
Active	1955 - Present
Country	Vietnam(North Vietnam in the past)
Branch	Branches Surface Ships Naval Marine Corps Naval Air Forces Coastal Defense Missiles Submarines
Size	42,000 officers and sailors 7 frigates 48 missile boat 45 patrol vessels 40 patrol boats 40 amphibious 10 transport/support ships 30 auxiliaries
Part of	Vietnam People's Army
Headquarters	Hai Phong, Vietnam
Motto	Đảo là nhà, Biển cả là quê hương (Island is home, Sea is country)
Color	Purple, White
March	Lướt sóng ra khơi (Surfing to the sea)
Anniversaries	5 August (defeat Operation Pierce Arrow of United States Navy in Vietnam war)
Engagements	Vietnam War Cambodian-Vietnamese War Johnson South Reef Skirmish
Decorations
Battle honours	Gulf of Tonkin incident Battle of Đồng Hới
Commanders
Commander	Admiral Nguyen Van Hien
Secretary	Vice Admiral Tran Thanh Huyen
Chief of Staff	Rear Admiral Pham Ngoc Minh
Insignia
Symbol
Emblem
Awards
Aircraft flown
Attack	Ka-27
Patrol	C-212, DHC-6, EC225

The Vietnam People's Navy (commonly, Vietnamese Navy - Vietnamese: Hải quân nhân dân Việt Nam) is part of the Vietnam People's Army and is responsible for the protection of national waters, islands, and interests of the maritime economy, as well as for the coordination of maritime police, customs service and the border defense force.

History[link]

Origins[link]

Battle of Bạch Đằng (1288)

Vietnamese Navy was built very early in the 10th century. The largest battles recorded were three naval battles (all three are called Battle of Bạch Đằng): Ngô Quyền against the ChineseSouthern Han forces in 938 (killed over 100,000 and captured a thousands Chinese sailors, killed Chinese Prince Liu Hongcao);^[1] Lê Hoàn against Song Dynasty in 981; and Trần Quốc Tuấn against Yuan Dynasty (Mongol) in 1288 (killed over 80,000 Yuan Mongol sailors, destroyed more than 400 Yuan ships, killed Sogetu, and captured Yuan Admiral Omar).^[2]

In 1077, the Vietnamese Navy fought the Battle of Cầu River against the Chinese Song Dynasty forces. This was the final battle China's Song Dynasty would fight on Vietnamese land or waters. The battle lasted for several months, and ended with the victory of the Vietnamese Navy and the loss of many Song's (Chinese) sailors. Modern researchers assess this as the biggest win and most fierce battle since the Battle of Bạch Đằng in 938 against China's invasions. This victory demonstrated the successful tactics of war and active defense of the famous Admiral Lý Thường Kiệt who faced a naval force several times larger than his own.^[3] The Chinese Song Dynasty lost a total of 80,000 soldiers/sailors and 5,19 million ounces of gold, including all costs of the war.^[4]

One of the greatest victories in Vietnamese Naval history was the Battle of Rạch Gầm-Xoài Mút, during which Nguyễn Huệ (Emperor Quang Trung) defeated the Siamese (Thai) naval force. The battle occurred in present-day Tiền Giang Province on January 19, 1785. Nguyễn Huệ's forces completely destroyed over 50,000 Siamese sailors and 300 warships.^[5]

Vietnamese Navy has great developed in Nguyễn Dynasty with 26,800 naval soldiers and copper ships

In the Nguyễn Dynasty period, 19th century Emperor Gia Long used his new base to improve the Vietnamese Navy. Gia Long had first attempted to acquire modern naval vessels in 1781, when on the advice of Pigneau de Behaine, he had chartered Portuguese vessels of European design, complete with crew and artillery. This initial experience proved to be disastrous. For reasons that remain unclear, two of the vessels fled in the midst of battle against the Tay Son, while angry Vietnamese soldiers killed the third crew. In 1789, Pigneau de Behaine returned to Vietnam from Pondicherry with two vessels, which stayed in the Nguyễn Dynasty service long-term. Over time, Vietnamese sailors replaced the original French and Indian crew under the command of French officers. These vessels became the foundation for an expanded military and merchant Nguyễn Dynasty naval force, with Gia Long chartering and purchasing more European vessels to reinforce Vietnamese-built ships. However, traditional Vietnamese-style galleys and small sailing ships remained the majority of the fleet. In 1799, a British trader by the name of Berry reported that the Nguyễn Dynasty's fleet had departed Saigon along the Saigon River with 100 galleys, 40 junks, 200 smaller boats and 800 carriers, accompanied by three European sloops.^[6] In 1801, one naval division was reported to have included nine European vessels armed with 60 guns, five vessels with 50 guns, 40 with 16 guns, 100 junks, 119 galleys and 365 smaller boats.^[6][7]

In the middle of the 19th century, the Vietnamese Navy fought against the French in many battles. Due to disadvantages in technology, the Vietnamese Navy could not defeat the French Navy, but there were still several battles during which the Vietnamese Navy caused damage to the French. The Vietnamese were especially successful in the Battle of Nhat Tao canal held by Nguyen Trung Truc on December 10, 1861. Nguyen Trung Truc's naval forces ambushed the French battleship L'Esperancein at the Vam Co River, Mekong Delta. Truc's 150 men were grouped into three columns. The first group of 61 men under Hoang Khac Nhuong was to attack a nearby pro-French village in order to provoke an incident and lure the French forces into an ambush. Truc commanded the second group of 59 partisans along with Vo Van Quang, and was assigned to burn and sink the vessel. A third force of 30 men was commanded by Ho Quang and Nguyen Van Hoc.^[8] Due to the surprise attack, the French Navy suffered major damage: L'Esperance was sunk, 17 soldiers and 20 Vietnamese colleagues were killed, only eight people escaped, including two French soldiers and six soldiers Tagal.

Vietnam War[link]

A North Vietnamese P-4 engaging USS Maddox in Gulf of Tonkin incident 1964

Following the Geneva Conference in 1954, the Democratic Republic of Vietnam went about creating its own naval forces. On May 7, 1955 the Vietnam People's Navy was created with the establishment of the General Directorate of Coastal Defence, it formed the basis for the Navy Operational Command (based on the Vietnamese Ministry of Defence decree No. 284/ND signed by General Võ Nguyên Giáp to established Naval Research Board, under the General Staff, on March 8, 1949). The primary mission of the Navy was to patrol the coastal areas and the inland waterways.

Throughout the Vietnam War the role played by the Vietnam People's Navy (or North Vietnamese Navy) was largely unknown to the public. However on August 2, 1964, three North Vietnamese Swatow class patrol boats attacked the USS Maddox (DD-731) in what became known as the Tonkin Gulf Incident². The second attack, which the United States claimed to have occurred on August 4, was dismissed by the North Vietnamese as a fabrication.

The North Vietnamese, however, had maintained their own version of the events which took place. According to official VPN accounts the Maddox penetrated North Vietnamese waters on July 31, 1964, and provoked a battle with the North Vietnamese¹. In response to American provocation, three 123K class torpedo boats from the 135th Torpedo Boat Battalion were dispatched to intercept the American destroyer. The resulting clash became known as the 'Battle of Thanh Hoa' in which North Vietnamese "torpedo boats succeeded in driving the Maddox out of Vietnam’s territorial waters, shooting down a U.S. aircraft and damaging another".¹

Sailors of the Vietnam People's Navy in June 2007

VPN's Naval Marine in Spratly islands

Apart from patrolling territorial waters, the Navy also had the mission of transporting military supplies to support the Vietnam People's Army and their NLF ally during the Vietnam War. On October 31, 1961, a sea route version of the Ho Chi Minh Trail was established by the North Vietnam Navy, with the 759th Transport Unit responsible for carrying military supplies and other goods for the Communist ground forces in South Vietnam³. In order to avoid detection by the South Vietnamese and U.S navies, North Vietnamese transport ships were often disguised as fishing trawlers. On February 16, 1965, a 100-ton North Vietnamese trawler from the Transportation Group 125 was discovered at Vung Ro Bay. This led to the creation of Operation Market Time by the US Navy to intercept disguised enemy ships.

On April 19, 1972, the North Vietnamese Navy and Air Force participated in the Battle of Dong Hoi off the coast of North Vietnam. During this battle it was believed that the U.S Navy destroyed a Soviet-made cruise missile for the first time. The USS Higbee (DD-806) was damaged after an VPAF MiG-17 dropped a 250 lb (110 kg) bomb, destroying a 5" aft gun mount.

In the years following the complete withdrawal of U.S and other allied forces, the North Vietnamese went back on the offensive. As part of the Ho Chi Minh Campaign, the North Vietnamese Navy increased the transportation of military supplies, food and uniform to the Communist forces in the South. When the North Vietnamese Army (NVA) occupied the northern provinces of South Vietnam in 1975, captured South Vietnamese vessels were pressed into service with the Vietnam People's Navy. On April 29, 1975, ex-South Vietnamese Navy vessels carried North Vietnamese troops to capture the Spratly Islands. At around the same time the Chinese Navy took over control of the Paracel Islands from the South Vietnamese Navy. These islands are also claimed by Vietnam, however they have no current presence there.

Prior to 1975, the North Vietnamese Navy operated fewer than forty patrol boats along with the coastal junk force. With the collapse of the Republic of Vietnam on April 30, 1975, the Vietnam People's Navy was expanded with ships from the defunct South Vietnamese Navy. Captured vessels included two patrol frigates, over one hundred patrol craft, and about fifty amphibious warfare ships. In the late 1970s the naval infantry (or marines) was formed to be stationed on the areas claimed by the Socialist Republic of Vietnam in the Spratly Islands. The naval infantry is equipped with PT-76 light tanks, BTR-60 personnel carriers and naval infantrymen are armed with AK-74 rifle, AKM-47 assault rifles, Makarov PM pistol (Officers), and PKM machinegun infantry weapons, and more.

In 1988, Vietnam People's Navy fought against Chinese Navy at Johnson Reef of Spratly islands.

Organizational structure[link]

Naval Regions[link]

VPN's Naval regions

Naval Regions are inter-military campaign of naval tactics, territorial division, comprising the regions, fleets, naval air forces, marines, defense island soldiers, coastal artillery and combat units to ensure (radar, information technology, logistics ...).^[9]

October 26, 1975, Ministry of Defence (Vietnam) issued Decision No.141/QD-QP established five Coastal Areas of Naval Command and jurisdiction provisions of the five regions. In 1978, renamed become Naval Regions.

• 1st Regional Command (A Regional Command): Gulf of Tonkin, manage north coast from Quang Ninh to Ha Tinh and the islands in Gulf of Tonkin. Command Headquarters: Hai Phong.

• 3rd Regional Command (C Regional Command): manage north central coast, from Quang Binh to Binh Dinh, including the islands of Con Co, Ly Son,... Command Headquarters: Da Nang.

• 4th Regional Command (D Regional Command): manage sorth central coast including Paracel Islands, Spratly Islands, Phu Quy island and the south central coast, from Phu Yen to Binh Thuan. Headquarters Command: Cam Ranh military port, Khanh Hoa.

• 2nd Regional Command (B Regional Command): manage south coast from Binh Thuan to Bac Lieu, southern continental shelf, including the key areas are economic science service areas (called are DK1, DK2). Command Headquarters: Nhon Trach, Dong Nai.

• 5th Regional Command (E Regional Command): manage south coast in Gulf of Thailand from Ca Mau to Kien Giang. Command Headquarters: Phu Quoc, Kien Giang.

Service branches[link]

Surface Ships	Naval Marine Corps	Naval Air Forces	Coastal Defense Missiles	Submarines

Ranks in Vietnam People's Navy[link]

Vietnam People's Army

Ministry of Defence Command General Staff Services Ground Force Air Force Navy Border Guard Coast Guard Ranks of the Vietnamese Military Ground Force ranks and insignia Air Force ranks and insignia Navy ranks and insignia Border Guard ranks and insignia Coast Guard ranks and insignia History of the Vietnamese Military History of Vietnamese military ranks Military history of Vietnam

In the Vietnam People's Navy system has no ranks of Fleet Admiral. Vietnam People's Navy ranks are divided into four basic steps: Commissioned Officer, Non-commissioned Officer, and Soldiers/Sailors.

Level	Ranks	Translation	Insignia	Lapel	Sleeve
General Officers	Đô đốc	Admiral
	Phó Đô đốc	Vice Admiral
	Chuẩn Đô đốc	Rear Admiral
Field Grade Officers	Đại tá	Commodore
	Thượng tá	Captain
	Trung tá	Commander
	Thiếu tá	Lieutenant Commander
Company Grade Officers	Đại úy	Senior Lieutenant
	Thượng úy	Lieutenant
	Trung úy	Sublieutenant
	Thiếu úy	Ensign
Non-Commissioned officers	Thượng sĩ	Senior Chief Petty Officer		None	None
	Trung sĩ	Chief Petty Officer		None	None
	Hạ sĩ	Petty Officer		None	None
Seaman	Binh nhất	Seaman		None	None
	Binh nhì	Seaman Recruit		None	None
Naval Officer Student	Học viên Sĩ quân Hải quân	Naval Student Officer		None	None

Naval Academy[link]

Vietnam Naval Academy's symbol

Vietnam Naval Academy, with its headquarters in Nha Trang, is a military institute belongs to Vietnam People's Navy for training naval commanding officers in division level and commanding staffs in tactical/campaign level, include undergraduates and postgraduates of military.

The forerunner of Vietnam Naval Academy is Coastal Training School, was established in April 26, 1955 by the General Staff. The school has changed name in several times such as the Naval Training School in 1959, the Naval School of Vietnam in 1961, the Naval Officers School in 1967, School of Commander Naval engineering in 1980. Finally, the school has named Naval Academy in 1993.

After 55 years of construction, combat and growth, Vietnam Naval Academy has trained thousands of officers and technical staffs for major specialized fields such as: control vessel; mines - anti-mine; missile anti-submarine; gunship; information; radar - sonar; coastal radar; ship factory and power; the commander of the Marine Police and Border Defense Force.

In addition, Vietnam Naval Academy has trained officers for Royal Cambodian Navy and Lao People's Navy.

Modernization[link]

Admiral Nguyen Van Hien commander of Vietnam People's Navy

Today, the Vietnam People's Navy is responsible for protecting the nation's sovereignty and economic activities at sea, and to repulse unauthorized foreign vessells intruding into Vietnamese waters. In general, Vietnam's policy has considered the modernization the Navy a priority task in the overall military modernization plan. The Vietnam People's Navy and the Vietnam People's Air Force are the branches with the fatest modernization rates, constantly upgrading weapons, ammunition and combat capacity, the ability to master the equipment. As stated on August 5, 2011 by Minister of Defense Phung Quang Thanh: “The direction of building up the armed forces is one to follow the revolutionary spirit, regularization and effectiveness and gradual modernization. Within this context, the Navy, the Air Force, the Signal Corps and Electronic Warfare will proceed directly into modernization to protect the country”.^[10]

• Frigates and Corvettes: Laid down two Gepard class frigate in 2011 by Zelenodolsk shipyard-Russia, named HQ-011 Dinh Tien Hoang and HQ-012 Ly Thai To; and two more order. Contract with Schelde Naval Shipbuilding-Netherlands to built two Sigma class corvette.^[11] Especially, Vietnam People's Navy has built itself many Tarantul class corvette (Molniya class) with Russia supervision; besides, Vietnam People's Navy has designed and built the first warship names TT-400TP gunboat.^[12]
• Submarines: In April 2011, Vietnam has ordered six Kilo class submarine, worth about 1.8 billion dollars, the contract is said to occupy the entire defense budget of Vietnam in 2009. With six submarines, to be delivered in 2014, Vietnam will own more modern submarines than any countries in Southeast Asia.^[13]
• Naval Air Force: Vietnam People's Navy prepared to build Naval Air Force to increase the capacity of coastal defense. On February 27, 2010, the General Staff (Vietnam People's Army) decides to build and make regular member a 954 Regiment Naval Air Force of the Vietnamese Navy. Vietnam has purchased three CASA C-212 Aviocar aircraft Series 400 professional beach patrol and tracking. The aircraft equipped with radar MSS 6000 and Naval Air Force will use for general patrol purposes. Vietnamese Navy received two Eurocopter EC225 Super Puma to offshore patrol and search and rescue missions^[14]. Viking Air Company of Canada has contracted to sell to Vietnam six Seaplane DHC-6 Twin Otter Series 400 from 2012 to 2014. And 7 Kamov Ka-27 helicopters will be transferred to naval air force.^[15]
• Coastal defense missile force: Vietnam People's Navy is building Coastal defense missile force become the core force in maritime security strategy by equip Russian and Indian missile systems. Vietnamese Navy has already produced itself P-5 Pyatyorka/Shaddock anti-ships missile, range upgraded to 550 km. Russia has delivered two K-300P Bastion-P coastal defense system to Vietnam. The Bastion system uses the P-800 Oniks/Yakhont supersonic anti-ship missile, primarily used to attack targets on land and sea, attack range is 300 km, can be used to protect a coastline of over 600 km.^[16] Joint venture company Russia-India BrahMos Aerospace Private Limited will sold Vietnam 15 BrahMos stealth supersonic cruise missile, and become the first military in the world imports Brahmos defense missile, if compared with other types of missiles being used in the world, BrahMos missile has the advantages of speed faster 3 times, range longer 2.5 times, respond shorter time 3-4 times.^[17]The Vietnamese are now starting to locally produce the anti ship missle Kh-35

Fleet[link]

Ships of the Vietnamese Navy are typically preceded with HQ (an abbreviation of the Vietnamese words: Hải Quân, meaning Navy).

Frigates (7 in Service)
Photo	Class	Origin	Type	Quantity	In service	Ships
	Gepard 3.9 class	Russia Yantar/Zelenodolsk Design Bureau	Frigate	2	2 in active duty (2 more under construction)[18]	HQ-011 Dinh Tien Hoang HQ-012 Ly Thai To
	Petya class	Soviet Union Yantar	Frigate	5	active duty	HQ-09 HQ-11 HQ-13 HQ-15 HQ-17
Submarine
Photo	Class	Origin	Type	Quantity	In service	Notes
150px	Improved Kilo class	Russia Admiralty Shipyard	Submarine	6	scheduled for delivery in 2013[19][20][21][22][23]
Corvettes (48 in Service)
Photo	Class	Origin	Type	Quantity	In service	Notes
	Molniya class	Soviet Union Almaz Central Design Bureau  Vietnam	Corvette	2	active duty 10 built under license in Vietnam. 4 are under construction	HQ-375, HQ-376
	Tarantul-I class	Soviet Union Almaz Central Design Bureau	Corvette	6	active duty	HQ-371, HQ-372, HQ-373, HQ-374,HQ-377, HQ-378
	BPS-500 Pauk class	Soviet Union Almaz Central Design Bureau  Vietnam Ba Son Company	Corvette	3	active duty	HQ-381, HQ-382, HQ-383
150px	Sigma class corvette	Netherlands Damen Schelde Naval Shipbuilding	Corvette	4 order.	Contract still under discussion[11]
	Svetlyak class	Russia	Patrol	4	active duty, 2 more on order.	HQ-261,HQ-263,HQ-264,HQ-265
	TT-400TP class	Vietnam Hong ha company	Patrol	2	active duty	HQ-272, HQ-273
	Osa class	Soviet Union	Patrol	8	active duty
	Turya class	Soviet Union	Patrol	10	active duty
	Shershen class	Soviet Union	Patrol	4	active duty	(coast guard vessel)
Transport/Logistics support ship (11 in Service)
Photo	Class	Origin	Type	Quantity	In service	Notes
	Giao su Vien si Tran Dai Nghia	Netherlands Damen Group  Vietnam Song Thu company	Ocean surveillance	1	active duty	[24]
	K-122 class	Vietnam 189 Shipbuilding company	Transport/ Logistics support ship	1	active duty	HQ-571
	Trường Sa class	Vietnam 189 Shipbuilding company	Transport/ Logistics support ship	10	active duty
Amphibious warfare (10 in Service)
Photo	Class	Origin	Type	Quantity	In service	Notes
	Polnochny class	Soviet Union/ Poland	Amphibious warfare	10	active duty
Aircraft (9 in Service)
Photo	Aircraft	Origin	Type	Quantity	In service	Notes
	DHC-6 Twin Otter	Canada Viking Air	Patrol	6	scheduled for delivery in 2012 - 2014
	Kamov Ka-28	Soviet Union Kamov	ASW Helicopter	7	active duty	to serve in frigates and patrol around Spratly islands
	Eurocopter EC225 Super Puma	France Eurocopter Group	Patrol	2	active duty
Anti-ship missile|Coastal Defense Missile
Photo	Missile	Origin	Type	Quantity	In service	Notes
	Yakhont (P-800 Oniks)	Russia NPO Mashinostroyeniya	Anti-ship missile/ Coastal defense	10 launcher/ 40 missiles	2 K-300P Bastion-P systems in active	to negotiate that Vietnam will self-produced
	Brahmos	Russia/ India BrahMos Aerospace Private Limited	Anti-ship missile/ Coastal defense	15 missiles	contract still under discussion
	Shaddock (P-5 Pyatyorka)	Soviet Union Chelomey design bureau	Anti-ship missile/ Coastal defense		active duty	Vietnam has ready self-produced
	Styx (P-15 Termit)	Soviet Union MKB Raduga	Anti-ship missile/ Coastal defense		active duty	Vietnam has ready self-produced

Inshore Patrol:

•  Vietnam 10 (+25) HQ-56 class (Stolkraft; 22.5 meter) PB with 1x20mm
•  Vietnam 5 HQ-37 class (built by Vinashin)
•  Soviet Union 15 Zhuk class patrol boats (Project 1400M)

Riverine Patrol:

•  United States 25 PBR Mark II and 10 PCF (Swift Boats). These riverine patrol boats are no longer in service.

Mine Warfare:

•  Soviet Union 2 Yurka class fleet minesweepers (Project 266) class MSF
•  Soviet Union 4 Sonya base minesweepers (Project 1265E) class MSC
•  Soviet Union 2 Yevgenya (Project 1258) class MSI
•  Soviet Union 2 SO-1 class MSI

Amphibious Landing Ships:

•  United States 5 amphibious LST-1/542 class LST
•  Poland 5 Polnocny-B (Project 771) class LSM
•  United States several LCU-1466 class
•  Soviet Union 10-15 T-4 (Project 1785) class LCM

Auxiliaries:

•  Soviet Union 1 Sorum class logistics tug (Project 745) ATA
•  Soviet Union 1 Voda (MTV-6/Project 561) AWT
•  Soviet Union 5 Nyrat-2 (Project 376U) diving tenders (YDT)
•  Vietnam 5 floating drydocks (YFDL)
•  Soviet Union 5 PO-2 (Project 376) YFL
•  United States 5 ex-US 55-meter harbor tankers (YO) - lilely ex-USN YOG-5 Class Gasoline Oiler
•  United States 5 Chaolocco tugs (YTM)
• 10 (estimated) harbour tubs (YTL)

Missiles: Air-launched:

•  Russia Kh-41 Moskit air-launched
•  Russia P-800 Oniks/Yakhont, air-launched version as Yakhont-M
•  Russia Kh-35 Uran
•  Soviet Union Kh-31 AS-17 'Krypton'
•  Russia Kh-59 Kh-59M
•  Russia 3M-54 Klub

Small Arms

•  Soviet Union AK-74 Standard Issue Assault rifle.
•  Soviet Union AKM-47 Standard Issue Assault Rifle being supplemented by AK-74.
•  Soviet Union PKM machinegun
•  Soviet Union Makarov PM Standard issue pistol for all Vietnamese Military services.
•  Israel IMI Tavor TAR-21 Special Forces Only.
•  Israel Uzi Submachinegun Special Forces Only.

Manpower[link]

The current total manpower of the navy is around 42,000 officers and enlisted personnel including naval infantry [i.e. marines] and other specialised units.

See also[link]

• Vietnam Marine Police
• Republic of Vietnam Navy
• Tonkin Gulf Incident
• Vung Ro Bay Incident
• 1988 Spratly Islands naval battle

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Vietnam People's Navy

• Tonkin Gulf Incident - A decisive battle in the Thanh Hoa Sea
• Gulf of Tonkin Incident: Reappraisal 40 Years Later
• Tonkin Gulf Incident – Meeting of heroes (continued)
• The legendary East Sea trail
• Task Force 115
• Analysis of the Battle of Dong Hoi
• Truong Sa Island celebrates 30th anniversary of liberation
• World Navies Vietnam

v t e Vietnam People's Army General Ministry of Defence • Vietnam People's Army • General Staff • General Department of Politics Branches Ground Forces • Navy • Air Force • Border Guard • Coast Guard • Air Defense • Engineers • Sapper • Chemical Warfare • Tank-Armoured Warfare • Signal • Artillery Military regions 1st • 2nd • 3rd • 4th • 5th • 7th • 9th • High Command of Capital Hanoi Army corps 1st • 2nd • 3rd • 4th Others General Department of Technique • General Department of Logistics • General Department of Military Industry • General Department of Military Intelligence

s

South China Sea
A map of the South China Sea
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	南海 or 南中國海
Simplified Chinese	南海 or 南中国海
Hanyu Pinyin	Nán Hǎi (South Sea) or Nán Zhōngguó Hǎi (South China Sea)
Transcriptions Hakka - Romanization nam11 hoi31 or nam11 dung24 gued2 hoi31 Mandarin - Hanyu Pinyin Nán Hǎi (South Sea) or Nán Zhōngguó Hǎi (South China Sea) - Bopomofo ㄋㄢˊ ㄏㄞˇ or ㄋㄢˊ ㄓㄨㄥ ㄍㄨㄛˊ ㄏㄞˇ Min - Hokkien POJ lâm-hái or lâm tiong-kok hái Wu - Romanization noe平 he上 or noe平 tson平 koh入 he上 Cantonese (Yue) - Jyutping naam4 hoi2 or naam4 zung1 gwok3 hoi2
Vietnamese name
Vietnamese	Biển Đông (East Sea)
Chữ nôm	匾東
Thai name
Thai	ทะเลจีนใต้ [tʰáʔlēː tɕīːnáʔ tɑ̂i] (South China Sea)
Japanese name
Kanji	南支那海 or 南シナ海 (literally "South Shina Sea")
Hiragana	みなみシナかい
Transcriptions - Romanization Minami Shina Kai
Malay name
Malay	Laut Cina Selatan (South China Sea)
Indonesian name
Indonesian	Laut Cina Selatan / Laut Tiongkok Selatan (South China Sea)
Filipino name
Tagalog	Dagat Timog Tsina (South China Sea) Dagat Luzon (Luzon Sea) Dagat Kanlurang Pilipinas (West Philippine Sea)
Portuguese name
Portuguese	Mar da China Meridional (South China Sea)

This article contains Chinese text. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Chinese characters.

The South China Sea is a marginal sea that is part of the Pacific Ocean, encompassing an area from the Singapore and Malacca Straits to the Strait of Taiwan of around 3,500,000 square kilometres (1,400,000 sq mi). The area's importance largely results from one-third of the world's shipping transiting through its waters, and that it is believed to hold huge oil and gas reserves beneath its seabed.^[1]

It is located

• south of mainland China and the island of Taiwan,
• west of the Philippines,
• north west of Sabah (Malaysia), Sarawak (Malaysia) and Brunei,
• north of Indonesia,
• north east of the Malay peninsula (Malaysia) and Singapore, and
• east of Vietnam.

The minute South China Sea Islands, collectively an archipelago, number in the hundreds. The sea and its mostly uninhabited islands are subject to competing claims of sovereignty by several countries. These claims are also reflected in the variety of names used for the islands and the sea.

Names[link]

Sunset on the South China Sea off Mui Ne village on the south-east coast of Vietnam

South China Sea is the dominant term used in English for the sea, and the name in most European languages is equivalent, but it is sometimes called by different names in neighboring countries, often reflecting historical claims to hegemony over the sea.

The English name is a result of early European interest in the sea as a route from Europe and South Asia to the trading opportunities of China. In the sixteenth century Portuguese sailors called it the China Sea (Mar da China); later needs to differentiate it from nearby bodies of water led to calling it the South China Sea.^[2] The International Hydrographic Organization refers to the sea as "South China Sea (Nan Hai)".^[3]

Historical Chinese names include Zhang Hai (Chinese: 漲海; pinyin: Zhǎng hǎi; literally "distended sea") used in records from the Han Dynasty, and Fei Hai (Chinese: 沸海; pinyin: Fèi hǎi; literally "boil sea") used during the Southern and Northern Dynasties period. Usage of the current Chinese name, Nan Hai (South Sea), became gradually widespread during the Qing Dynasty.^[4]

In Southeast Asia it was once called the Champa Sea AKA Sea of Cham, after the maritime kingdom of Champa that flourished there before the sixteenth century. The majority of the sea came under Japanese naval control during World War II following the military acquisition of many surrounding South East Asian territories in 1941. Japan calls the sea Minami Shina Kai "South China Sea". This was written 南支那海 until 2004, when the Japanese Foreign Ministry and other departments switched the spelling 南シナ海, which has become the standard usage in Japan.

In China, it is called the "South Sea", 南海 Nánhǎi, and in Vietnam the "East Sea", Biển Đông.^[5][6][7] In the Philippines, Malaysia, and Indonesia it was long called the "South China Sea" (Dagat Timog Tsina in Tagalog, Laut China Selatan in Malay), with the part within Philippine territorial waters often called the "Luzon Sea", Dagat Luzon, by the Philippines. However, following an escalation of the Spratly Islands dispute in 2011, various Philippine government agencies started using the neologism "West Philippine Sea". A Pagasa spokesperson said that the sea to the east of the Philippines will continue to be called the Philippine Sea.^[8]

Geography[link]

States and territories with borders on the sea (clockwise from north) include: the People's Republic of China (including Macau and Hong Kong), the Republic of China (Taiwan), the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia, Singapore, and Vietnam.

Major rivers that flow into the South China Sea include the Pearl, Min, Jiulong, Red, Mekong, Rajang, Pahang, Pampanga, and Pasig Rivers.

Extent[link]

The International Hydrographic Organization defines the limits of the South China Sea as follows:^[3]

On the South. The Eastern and Southern limits of Singapore and Malacca Straits [A line joining Tanjong Datok, the Southeast point of Johore (1°22′N 104°17′E / 1.367°N 104.283°E / 1.367; 104.283) through Horsburgh Reef to Pulo Koko, the Northeastern extreme of Bintan Island (1°13.5′N 104°35′E / 1.225°N 104.583°E / 1.225; 104.583). The Northeastern coast of Sumatra] as far West as Tanjong Kedabu (1°06′N 102°58′E / 1.1°N 102.967°E / 1.1; 102.967) down the East coast of Sumatra to Lucipara Point (3°14′S 106°05′E / 3.233°S 106.083°E / -3.233; 106.083) thence to Tanjong Nanka, the Southwest extremity of Banka Island, through this island to Tanjong Berikat the Eastern point (2°34′S 106°51′E / 2.567°S 106.85°E / -2.567; 106.85), on to Tanjong Djemang (2°36′S 107°37′E / 2.6°S 107.617°E / -2.6; 107.617) in Billiton, along the North coast of this island to Tanjong Boeroeng Mandi (2°46′S 108°16′E / 2.767°S 108.267°E / -2.767; 108.267) and thence a line to Tanjong Sambar (3°00′S 110°19′E / 3°S 110.317°E / -3; 110.317) the Southwest extreme of Borneo.

On the East. From Tanjong Sambar through the West coast of Borneo to Tanjong Sampanmangio, the North point, thence a line to West points of Balabac and Secam Reefs, on to the West point of Bancalan Island and to Cape Buliluyan, the Southwest point of Palawan, through this island to Cabuli Point, the Northern point thereof, thence to the Northwest point of Busuanga and to Cape Calavite in the island of Mindoro, to the Northwest point of Lubang Island and to Point Fuego (14°08'N) in Luzon Island, through this island to Cape Engano, the Northeast point of Luzon, along a line joining this cape with the East point of Balintang Island (20°N) and to the East point of Y'Ami Island (21°05'N) thence to Garan Bi, the Southern point of Taiwan (Formosa), through this island to Santyo (25°N) its North Eastern Point.

On the North. From Fuki Kaku the North point of Formosa to Kiushan Tao (Turnabout Island) on to the South point of Haitan Tao (25°25'N) and thence Westward on the parallel of 25°24' North to the coast of Fukien.

On the West. The Mainland, the Southern limit of the Gulf of Thailand and the East coast of the Malay Peninsula.

Geology[link]

The sea lies above a drowned continental shelf; during recent ice ages global sea level was hundreds of metres lower, and Borneo was part of the Asian mainland.

The South China Sea opened after around 45 million years ago when the Dangerous Grounds (Reed Tablemount) were rifted away from southern China. Extension culminated in seafloor spreading around 30 million years ago, a process that propagated to the SW resulting in the V-shaped basin we see today. Extension ceased around 17 million years ago. Arguments have continued about the role of tectonic extrusion in forming the basin. Paul Tapponnier and colleagues have argued that as India collides with Asia it pushes Indochina to the SE. The relative shear between Indochina and China caused the South China Sea to open. This view is disputed by geologists who do not consider Indochina to have moved far relative to mainland Asia. Recent marine geophysical studies by Peter Clift has shown that the Red River Fault was active and causing basin formation at least by 37 million years ago in the NW South China Sea, consistent with extrusion playing a part in the formation of the sea. Since opening the South China Sea has been the repository of large sediment volumes delivered by the Mekong River, Red River and Pearl River. Several of these deltas are rich in oil and gas deposits.

Islands and seamounts[link]

The South China Sea contains over 250 small islands, atolls, cays, shoals, reefs, and sandbars, most of which have no indigenous people, many of which are naturally under water at high tide, and some of which are permanently submerged. The features are grouped into three archipelagos (listed by area size), Macclesfield Bank and Scarborough Shoal: