Sand Cay is an island in Spratly Islands

Spratly Islands

The Spratly Islands are a group of more than 750 reefs, islets, atolls, cays and islands in the South China Sea. The archipelago lies off the coasts of the Philippines and Malaysia , about one third of the way from there to southern Vietnam. They comprise less than four square kilometers of land...

 of South China Sea

South China Sea

The South China Sea is a marginal sea that is part of the Pacific Ocean, encompassing an area from the Singapore and Malacca Straits to the Strait of Taiwan of around...

. With an area of 7 hectares, it is the ninth largest island and the fourth largest Vietnamese-occupied island in the Spratly Islands. It lies 6 miles (10 km) to the east of Itu Aba Island occupied by the Republic of China (Taiwan). Between Sandy Cay and Itu Aba Island is Ban Than Reef, a sandy shoal which is commonly confused with Sandy Cay. The island is covered with trees and bushes, and fringing reef is partly above water at low tide. It is part of Tizard Banks. The island is occupied by Vietnam

Vietnam

Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...

 (since 1974), also claimed by the People's Republic of China

People's Republic of China

China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...

, Republic of China (Taiwan) and Philippines

Philippines

The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...

.