Anti-Chinese protests in Vietnam have turned violent with demonstrators setting on fire a number of factories in a southern Vietnamese industrial park . Properties in the Vietnam-Singapore Industrial Parks ( VSIP ) I & II in Binh Duong were targeted Tuesday by thousands of protesters demonstrating over China 's deployment of an oil rig into waters that both countries claim as sovereign territory . Reports suggest the demonstrators targeted factories owned by Chinese firms , although CNN received a report that the arson was indiscriminate , with Korean- , Taiwanese- and Japanese-owned properties also torched by the angry mob . Speaking to CNN , the CEO of a foreign-owned factory , who asked not to be named , relayed information from his employees that `` 600 '' protestors entered the company 's factory building in the park and caused minor damage but did not set it alight . He said that neither local police nor the government were responding to the violence , reportedly claiming that there was nothing they can do to control the situation . A Taiwan-based employee of Asama Bicycles , whose factory was damaged in the riot , told CNN that `` all personnel have been evacuated from the factory and we can only learn the situation after the protesters leave the area . '' The Singaporean Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a statement Wednesday , saying that the government had been informed that `` a number of foreign companies have been broken into and set on fire . '' `` Singapore views this issue very seriously given our close economic cooperation with Vietnam , '' the statement read , requesting that `` the Vietnamese government to act immediately to restore law and order in the two ( parks ) before the security situation worsens and investor confidence is undermined . '' Vietnamese protesters target Chinese embassy . 'China 's inherent territory ' The destruction of property comes after a Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs ( MoFA ) spokesperson called on the Vietnamese government to protect Chinese interests in the country . `` The Xisha ( Paracel ) Islands are China 's inherent territory , '' MoFA spokesperson Hua Chunying said at a briefing Monday . `` The Chinese company 's normal operations fall within China 's sovereignty . China ... has required the Vietnamese side to take all necessary measures to protect the safety and lawful rights of Chinese citizens and institutions in Vietnam . '' The escalating protests come after hundreds of protestors took to the streets in Vietnam over the weekend as the territorial dispute exacerbated relations between the neighboring communist states . Vietnamese officials say Chinese military and civilian ships have been harassing their vessels near the Paracel Islands -- which are controlled by Beijing but claimed by Hanoi -- since the previous Sunday , even accusing the Chinese of repeatedly ramming into them and shooting water cannon . A rally , which drew around a thousand protesters in Hanoi Sunday , focused local ire on the Chinese embassy , while smaller protests in Danang and Ho Chi Minh City echoed the anti-Chinese sentiment emanating from the political capital . While public protests are rare in Vietnam , where the one-party system is wary of public gatherings , there have been several anti-Chinese protests in recent years . That this weekend 's actions went ahead unobstructed by police is seen as a sign that the government tacitly approves of the protests . 'Provocative ' decision . The U.S. Department of State released a statement last week , calling China 's decision to send the oil rig , accompanied by a flotilla of government vessels , `` provocative , '' and an act that `` raises tensions . '' `` This unilateral action appears to be part of a broader pattern of Chinese behavior to advance its claims over disputed territory in a manner that undermines peace and stability in the region , '' the statement said . The language was echoed by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry in a telephone call this week between the diplomat and his Chinese counterpart . It also raised concerns about the conduct of the Chinese vessels in the area , calling some actions by Chinese ships `` dangerous . '' Exclusion zone . Relations between China and Vietnam soured on Friday , when a Chinese platform began drilling for oil near the Paracel Islands . The oil rig , Haiyang Shiyou 981 , is owned by state gas and oil company CNOOC . The Maritime Safety Administration of China ( MSAC ) declared a three-mile exclusion zone around the rig , while military vessels have been deployed to patrol the area . `` At present , the number of escorting ships of China has reached 60 , including military ships , '' Tran Duy Hai , Vice Chair of Vietnam 's National Boundary Commission , said in a statement Wednesday . `` These vessels have intentionally hit and collided with Vietnamese law enforcement ships , including those of the Maritime Police and Fisheries Control , causing damage in human and property . '' ( sic ) China maintains that its current drilling activities are legitimate and blames the Vietnamese for provoking the conflict . `` The drilling activities of this rig are within China 's territorial waters . The harassment by the Vietnamese side is in violation of China 's sovereign rights , '' said Hua Chunying , spokesperson of China 's Ministry of Foreign Affairs . She did not confirm the boat collisions . According to CNOOC , a third of China 's oil and gas resources are under the South China Sea , most of which it claims as its own , refuting rival claims from Vietnam , the Philippines , Taiwan , Malaysia , and Brunei .
Factories in industrial park burned down by Chinese protesters . Vietnam has called on Vietnam to protect Chinese interests in the country . Vietnamese have been protesting against perceived territorial incursions by China . China says Vietnamese ships have made violent attacks on anti-Chinese vessels .