Ladd Reef (;
Mandarin
Mandarin or The Mandarin may refer to:
Language
* Mandarin Chinese, branch of Chinese originally spoken in northern parts of the country
** Standard Chinese or Modern Standard Mandarin, the official language of China
** Taiwanese Mandarin, Stand ...
) is a
Vietnam
Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...
-controlled
reef
A reef is a ridge or shoal of rock, coral, or similar relatively stable material lying beneath the surface of a natural body of water. Many reefs result from natural, abiotic component, abiotic (non-living) processes such as deposition (geol ...
in the
Spratly group of islands,
South China Sea
The South China Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean. It is bounded in the north by South China, in the west by the Indochinese Peninsula, in the east by the islands of Taiwan island, Taiwan and northwestern Philippines (mainly Luz ...
.
China (PRC) and
Taiwan (ROC) are also claimants of the reef. Like
Spratly Island, Ladd Reef lies to the west of the Philippines-defined "
Kalayaan Islands" claim area.
Names
The English name ''Ladd Reef'' was coined by
Richard Spratly in late March 1843, after Captain Ladd of the ship ''Austen'', who seemed to be the first to have seen the reef.
The Chinese name ''Rìjī Jiāo'' was coined in 1947 to replace the 1935 name ''Lādé Jiāo'' (拉德礁), which was transliterated from the English name ''Ladd''.
Geography
Ladd Reef lies west of
Dangerous Ground in the western half of the
Spratly Islands
The Spratly Islands (; zh, s=南沙群岛, t=南沙群島, p=Nánshā Qúndǎo; ; ) are a disputed archipelago in the South China Sea. Composed of islands, islets, cays, and more than 100 reefs, sometimes grouped in submerged old atoll ...
, to the south of
Coronation Bank, southwest of
West London Reef (West Reef) and west of
Spratly Island.
This coral reef lies on a northeast-southwest axis, in length, in width, and spans over an area of . It is entirely submerged during high tide, but there are some stones jutting out of the sea during low tide.
Da Lat Island (Đảo Đá Lát)
Da Lat Island, formerly known as Da Lat Islet, is the only islet situated on a coral reef. Initially, a permanent house was constructed on the island to serve as a station for the Vietnamese Navy. In 2018, a multifunctional cultural house was built there and was completed in October of the same year.
The geographical coordinates of this island, as recorded on the sovereignty marker, are 8°40′10″N 111°40′23″E (or 8.66944°N 111.67306°E). This location places it within the strategic and ecologically significant region of the South China Sea.
In early November 2022, Vietnam began land reclamation and renovation to transform ''Da Lat Islet'' into ''Da Lat Island''. As of March 2025, Da Lat Island has an estimated reclaimed land area of around 55 hectares, stretching approximately 2.4 kilometers in length, with the potential for an airport to be constructed there.
Structures
The reef is uninhabited but contains a Vietnamese
lighthouse
A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lens (optics), lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways.
Ligh ...
(built in 1994)
with the inscription ''Hải đăng Đá Lát'' (literally "Ladd Reef Lighthouse"). The lower portion of the lighthouse consists of quarters for a handful of Vietnamese soldiers and the lighthouse keeper.
Other information
In 1945, towards the end of the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, a Dutch submarine (
HNLMS O-19) ran aground on Ladd Reef.
References
External links
Maritime Transparency Initiative Island Tracker
Reefs of the Spratly Islands
Reefs of Vietnam
Disputed reefs
{{vietnam-geo-stub