China conducts live-fire drills close to the Vietnamese coastline; the lack of an official response from authorities is leading to anxiety and frustration on social media.
The Latest: China’s Guangxi Maritime Safety Administration issued a navigation warning for live-fire drills on Sept. 2 and 3 in an area of the Gulf of Tonkin located approximately 54 kilometers from Cape Trà Cổ in Móng Cái, Việt Nam.
- Maritime vessels were prohibited from entering the area.
- At this time, Vietnamese authorities have not publicly responded to the military drills.
Not the First Time: These recent military drills reflect a continuous pattern of activity, as China regularly conducts live-fire drills in the Gulf of Tonkin, with local maritime authorities issuing notices several times a year.
Chinese state media have reported at least three prior rounds of drills so far in 2026:
- From 6 p.m. May 6 to 3 a.m. May 10, according to navigation warning 250/26 from the Zhanjiang Maritime Safety Administration
- On May 26 and 27, according to navigation warning 100/26 from the Qinzhou Maritime Safety Administration
- On June 9, 10, and 11, according to navigation warning 358/26 from the Zhanjiang Maritime Safety Administration
The Background: On Aug. 28, Vietnamese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Phạm Thu Hằng stated that Vietnam firmly opposed China’s reclamation and construction activities at Hải Sâm Reef and Ba Ba Island in the Hoàng Sa archipelago, also known as the Paracel Islands.
Subsequently, on Sept. 3, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Quách Gia Côn responded that “Việt Nam has no right” to comment on China’s construction activities in the archipelago, which Beijing refers to as Xisha.
From Social Media: The juxtaposition of Chinese military action and the lack of official communication from Việt Nam has generated significant public reaction on social media.
On Sept. 8, the Threads account floweriston*** posted, “China conducted live-fire drills in the Gulf of Tonkin, 55 kilometers from Móng Cái, on Sept. 2–3, 2026. Several Chinese news sites say the drill was a show of force after Vietnam spoke out against China’s construction in Hoàng Sa.”
- Within 14 hours, the post had received more than 93,000 views and 4,400 likes.
- In the comments, the account poppop23*** wrote: “At this rate, if China fires missiles into Vietnamese territory someday, people will probably have to check Threads to find out. Absolute silence.”
- This comment received more than 2,400 likes.
Thành Phương wrote this news article in Vietnamese and published it in Luật Khoa Magazine on September 9, 2026. The Vietnamese Magazine translated it into English.
