China–Vietnam border

The China–Vietnam border is the international boundary between China and Vietnam, consisting of a 1,297 km (806 mi) terrestrial border stretching from the tripoint with Laos in the west to the Gulf of Tonkin coast in the east, and a maritime border in the Gulf of Tonkin and South China Sea.

While disputes over the terrestrial border have been settled with the signing of a land boundary treaty between the two countries, the maritime border is currently undefined due to disputes over the ownership of territorial waters and islands, including the Spratly and Paracel Islands.

Description

The land border of China and Vietnam is 1,347 kilometers. Two Chinese provinces adjoin the border, and seven Vietnamese provinces do.

The terrestrial border begins in the west at the China-Laos-Vietnam tripoint at the Shiceng Dashan peak. It then proceeds overland in a broadly eastwards direction, albeit in a highly irregular zig-zag pattern, predominantly through isolated mountainous areas inhabited by ethnic minorities. In places, rivers are utilised for short sections, such as the Lixian River, Red River, Nanxi, Sông Gâm, Song Chay, and Jin Jiang. In the east, the border reaches the mouth of the Beilun/Ka Long River near the Chinese city of Dongxing and the Vietnamese city of Móng Cái, following the river through a marshland out to the Gulf of Tonkin.

History

Ancient

The border region has a long history. China under the Han dynasty had established control over Nam Việt (northern Vietnam) by the early 1st century BC. The Vietnamese of Tonkin managed to break free of Han rule in 939 AD, forming the kingdom of Đại Việt.