From: nguyen@airmics.gatech.edu (Son Nguyen)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.vietnamese
Subject: Re: Spratly Islands
Date: 27 Jul 92 19:39:04 GMT
Reply-To: nguyen@airmics.gatech.edu
Organization: N/A
Originator: daemon@media-lab.media.mit.edu


 > In article <1992Jul27.144535.13862@news.media.mit.edu> quangl@tabasco.sps.mot.
 > com (Quang Le) wrote:
 > 
 > |>   Have not heard of before.  Maybe you have mistaken it for another island
 > |>   which is much closer to Malaysia.   About the landing strip, China is
 >                                                                   ^^^^^^^^
 > |>   currently building (or have built) an airfield in another island group
 >      ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
 > |>   just north of Spratley.  That island group was taken from from Vietnam
 >      ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
 > |>   over a crash with the vietnames forces.
 > |>
 > 
 > >Vietnam and Taiwan each already have a landing strip, but only for small aircrafts.
 > >In case of war, only Vietnam have capability to bombard the area with bombers
 > >and fighters from Bien Hoa airbase, 400 miles away. Without a carrier, China
 >                                                                         ^^^^^
 > >could
 > >^^^^^
 > >not deliver their aircrafts to the area about 1000 miles from Hainan. They
 >  ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
 > > didn't  
 > 
 > >have know-how in in-flight refill either. But as soon as a war breaks out, oil
 > >companies currently doing off-shore exploration will pull out of the area. Vietnamese
 > >economy will be hurt badly. That is why Vietnam tried to avoid a war as much as 
 > >she could. 
 > >
 > >Regards,
 > >Quang Le
 > 
 > 
 > Yes, Quang, that is true. However, according to Won Soon's post, China has been
 > building an airstrip at the Paracels, the islands they took by force from the
 > Vietnamese in 1974,  which lie between the Hainan Island and the Spratlys. So
 > they are getting closer...
 > 
 > Vietanh Nguyen
 > 


According to U.S. News & World Report, Mar 9, 92:

"So far, Chinese plans flying to the Spratlys from Hainan Province have
been able to fly over the islands for just five to 10 minutes." That
means they got to go back Hainan for refueling after 5-10 minutes
fighting/bombing.  Normally, bombers don't need more time than that.

Militarily, there is no match between China and Vietnam.  Here is the
comparison:

	  
	 Active Personnel  Combat Aircraft  Battle Tank  Capital Ship
---------------------------------------------------------------------
China      +3 millions	      5,850          7500           148

Vietnam     1 millions          185          1750             7

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Besides, China is a self-supported country, i.e., they can build their
own weapons and sell to other countries like silkworm missiles to
Iran.  They got their own atomic bombs. Their ships are more
modernized, equipped with radars and missiles.  Vietnam ship has
nothing besides machine guns.

Vietnam nowadays is even weaker since the fall of the Soviet Union.
China did give Vietnam a lesson (around 1979, I believe).  That was a
slight one.  DDa'nh cho' nhu+ng va^~n co`n ne^? ma<.t chu? (Soviet).
Today, the dog no longer got a master.  Vietnam cannot stand another
blow given by the Chinese.

The best way for VN to do right now is team up with the ASEAN countries
and bring the issue to the U.N. and beg the U.S. for help.

Good day,

So+n Nguye^~n