By: Kevin Lee

Vietnam’s South China Sea tensions with China couldn’t get any higher, as the pace for Vietnamese construction in disputed waters has risen. The debate of these two powerful nations all lies on… a few little islands?

Turns out, these islands are not very little, neither are there just a few. Ever since 2021, Vietnam’s presence in the South China Sea went from about 329 acres to 2,360 acres. That’s more than seven times the amount Vietnam had in 2021.

These islands are mostly in the Spratly Islands area. Last year in November, the production speed of these islands significantly increased.

These Vietnamese islands built in disputed waters are supposed to be a show of power against China. Some islands are outposts with military garrisons. For example, Vietnam’s biggest outpost in the Spratly Islands is the Barque Canada Reef. Over the past six months, the island has grown from 238 acres to 412 acres—almost double in size.

Ever since 2013, China has been building islands in the South China Sea. They claim to have full authority over the places Vietnam is building their islands. Now that Vietnam is speeding up construction of these artificial islands, people are convinced that there will be a conflict between these nations.

While these two countries bicker, they neglect a few other nations that have already had small claims to the region such as the Philippines, Malaysia, and Taiwan. In recent years, there have been reports of Filipino ships clashing with Chinese ships. These ships have been seen colliding and using water cannons.

Filipino coast guard spokesman Jay Tarriela said that unlike China, Vietnam at least doesn’t illegally send ships to what he claims, “our occupied maritime features.”