evidence: The island Vietnam has developed the most is Barque Canada Reef. As of June 2022, it was an atoll with small strips of land in the northwest and southeast. By that November, both sides had expanded considerably, with CSIS estimating the atoll had grown by 0.8 square kilometers. This made it the largest reef under Vietnamese control in the South China Sea. [...] A spokesperson for Vietnam's Ministry of Foreign Affairs stressed the validity of its activities in the South China Sea at a press conference last month. Pham Thu Hang said there is sufficient historical evidence to support Vietnam's sovereignty over the reefs, adding the activities are completely legal under international law. [...] The Vietnamese government has been conducting tours to parts of the Spratly Islands it effectively controls for the past decade.