[9] According to an official announcement by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, France occupied Spratly Island on April 13, 1930.

In 1963, three ships (HQ-404 Huong Giang, HQ-01 Chi Lang and HQ-09 Ki Hoa) visited and systematically rebuilt steles on a number of islands in the archipelago.

In 2007, the Vietnamese government upgraded the island's status to a commune-level town which is in charge of administering all nearby Vietnamese-controlled features such as Amboyna Cay and Barque Canada Reef.

According to a document published by the Political Department of Vietnam's Navy Command, the island is 630 metres (2,070 ft) in length, up to 300 metres (980 ft) in width and has an area of 0.15 square kilometres (37 acres)[2] while several foreign documents often use a slightly smaller number of 0.13 square kilometres (32 acres).

[2] The fringing reefs that lie at all three corners are up to 200 metres (660 ft) wide and uncovered at low tide.

[2] The island's plants are mostly Barringtonia asiatica, Ipomoea pes-caprae, Heliotropium foertherianum, and some kinds of bush and grass which grow poorly due to the harsh climate.

From 2004, the configurations included a 600 metres (2,000 ft) landing strip that could accommodate small fixed-wing propeller aircraft (PZL M28 Skytruck, de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter).

Homes surround the two sides of the runway and a small two-story building with a control tower on the roof is located by the apron.

Vietnam Military Telecommunications Corp., known commonly as Viettel, established mobile coverage in the Spratlys Island in 2007 to assert sovereignty and allow soldiers to speak with their families back home.

Additional facilities included a small jetty with two piers, a clinic, a cultural house, a radio tower and a Buddhist pagoda.