Vietnam’s Island-Building in South China Sea could soon outpace China

Vietnam has sharply expanded land reclamation in the disputed Spratly Islands and is on track to match and likely surpass — China’s island-building in the South China Sea, a U.S. think tank said Friday.

Satellite images reviewed by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) show Vietnam has, since early 2025, begun dredging and landfill work at eight new features, including Alison Reef, Collins Reef, East Reef, Landsdowne Reef, and Petley Reefs. This means all 21 Vietnamese-held outposts in the Spratlys now include artificial land up from mostly isolated bunkers just four years ago.

“With this latest expansion, Vietnam has created about 70% as much artificial land as China,” CSIS’s Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative reported. “The pace of reclamation all but ensures Vietnam will catch up and likely surpass Beijing.”

The think tank noted early signs of infrastructure, including munitions storage containers, at sites where dredging is nearly complete, such as Barque Canada Reef and Namyit Island. A new runway at Barque Canada may join Vietnam’s only existing Spratly airstrip.

China claims almost the entire South China Sea, despite overlapping claims by Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Brunei. Beijing has condemned Vietnam’s construction, calling it a violation of Chinese sovereignty, while rejecting a 2016 international tribunal ruling that invalidated its expansive claims.