Ehhh, it's been quite the problem for over a decade now. China actually establishing the 9 dash line would be terrible for Vietnamese sovereignty. It would effectively allow china to control any trade going through the gulf of tonkin.

If the west is distorting any of the media about the South China sea and Vietnam, it's that the Vietnamese have also been suffering from territorial clashes with the Philippines as well as China.

The 9 dash line is a huge source of diplomatic friction for any country who relies on the South China sea for trade. To the point where I just don't really understand the logic, especially since it needlessly creates so much conflict with a fellow communist government.