In the capital, Hanoi, demonstrators took the streets on May 11, singing patriotic songs and holding up placards opposite the Chinese embassy.

Tensions have been running high after China positioned an oil rig together with many escort vessels deep into Vietnam’s continental shelf on May 1. And when Vietnam’s law enforcement ships arrived on May 4 to stop the illegal intrusion of the Chinese side, Chinese ships aggressively fired water cannon at and even rammed at Vietnamese vessels, damaging Vietnam’s coast guard vessels and injuring crew members.

The protesters opposite the Chinese embassy on Sunday included war veterans and students.

Protesters said they would march in peace, hoping to rally the entire nation in protest against China’s violation of Vietnam’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

"This is the largest anti-Chinese demonstration I have ever seen in Hanoi," a war veteran named Dang Quang Thang told the AFP news agency.

"Our patience has limits. We are here to express the will of the Vietnamese people to defend our territory at all costs. We are ready to die to protect our nation," he is quoted as saying.

Large anti-China protests were also seen in other Vietnamese cities including Ho Chi Minh City, Danang, and Hue.

Also on May 11 morning, thousands of protesters in HCM City carried large band rolls reading “We love Vietnam” and “China, withdraw its oil rig from Vietnam’s territorial waters.”

At Lam Son Square, not only intellectuals, artists, elderly and young people, but children took part in the peaceful demonstration. They travelled past the city’s major roads and streets such as Le Loi, Pham Ngoc Thach, Nam Ky Khoi Nghia, and Nguyen Du.

“Through the peaceful march, we would like the world and especially China to understand that we love peace and our Vietnamese nation, and we are determined to protect it,” he said.

Earlier on May 10, nearly 1,000 people attended a meeting at HCM City’s Youth Cultural Centre, voicing their strong opposition to China’s illegal actions in the East Sea.