Vietnam recently deployed a ship to intercept a Chinese survey vessel operating off its east coast, according to ship tracking data.
The Chinese vessel spent much of the second half of June within Vietnam’s maritime zone, in what Hanoi says is a violation of its sovereignty.
Why It Matters
Vietnam is one of several countries in the region with overlapping claims in the South China Sea, through which as much as one-third of global shipping passes each year.
Beijing’s sovereignty claims, which extend across most of the strategic waterway, have been a persistent source of tension with Vietnam and other countries in the region, as have Chinese coast guard, paramilitary, and research activities in the maritime zones of China’s neighbors.
Newsweek reached out to the Chinese embassy in Vietnam by email with a request for comment.
What To Know
Open-source data from Global Fishing Watch’s ship-tracking platform shows that the Bei Diao 996, a twin-hulled research vessel, departed China’s southernmost province of Hainan on June 10.
From that point until July 4, the ship remained within or just outside Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ)—an area extending 230 miles from the country’s coastline, where foreign fishing and survey activities are prohibited under maritime law without Vietnam’s permission.
For much of this period, the vessel conducted what appeared to be a hydrographic survey, repeatedly crossing into the EEZ in a “lawnmower pattern” commonly seen in seafloor mapping.
On June 19, the Vietnamese fisheries vessel Kiem Ngu 471 can be seen departing from the coast and making a beeline for Bei Diao 996. The vessel spent the rest of June shadowing the Chinese ship, only leaving the area last week after Bei Diao 996 set a course back toward Hainan last week.
“Vietnam’s sustained response demonstrates its concern over China’s intrusive survey tactics,” said Ray Powell, director of the Stanford University-affiliated maritime analysis group SeaLight, who flagged the ship tracks on X (formerly Twitter).
Vietnamese foreign ministry spokesperson Pham Thu Hang pointed out during a press conference Thursday that foreign research and survey operations conducted within the country’s EEZ are “violations of its sovereignty and jurisdiction” under the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
At nearly 330 feet long and displacing 7,384 tons, Bei Diao 996 is outfitted to test deep-sea equipment, according to the state-owned China Classification Society.
Analysts have previously flagged Chinese research vessels engaging in suspicious activities and warned they may be gathering intelligence—such as information on undersea cables or nearby military assets—that could strengthen China’s strategic position in the region.
Bei Diao 996’s movements come against a backdrop of maritime friction between China and Vietnam.
Hanoi bristled earlier this year after Beijing again announced an annual fishing ban covering waters within the EEZs of Vietnam, the Philippines, and several other neighbors.
Vietnam has also protested China’s move in 2024 and again this year to unilaterally introduce new territorial baselines in the Gulf of Tonkin in a bid to redefine its jurisdictional boundaries.
What People Have Said
Jun Kajee, lecturer at Southern Utah University and a research fellow at the Korea Institute for Maritime Strategy, wrote in a report published by SeaLight last month: “Routine Chinese survey operations in the South China Sea, East China Sea, and Taiwan Strait are no longer isolated events—they have become a defining feature of the region’s maritime landscape.
“These missions, often met with diplomatic protests from countries like Vietnam, the Philippines, and Japan, consistently raise tensions and test the resolve of neighboring states to defend their own maritime claims.”
What’s Next
China has yet to publicly respond to Vietnam’s protest. Chinese maritime activities, including surveys and coast guard patrols in disputed areas, are likely to remain a point of friction in the South China Sea.
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