Gulf of Tonkin
General data
- Name: Gulf of Tonkin
- Water system: South China Sea
- Water type: Bay
- Progression: South China Sea -> Pacific Ocean -> Planet Earth
- Climates: Tropical
- Continents: Asia
- Countries: China, Vietnam
The Gulf of Tonkin is a gulf at the northwestern portion of the South China Sea, located off the coasts of Tonkin (northern Vietnam) and South China. It has a total surface area of 126,250 km2 (48,750 sq mi).
It is defined in the west and northwest by the northern coastline of Vietnam down to the Cồn Cỏ island, in the north by China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, and to the east by the Leizhou Peninsula and Hainan Island.
English sources from the People's Republic of China refer to the Gulf of Tonkin as Beibu Wan.
