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One of the oldest rivalries on the planet has flared up again, and it’s all because of where China placed an oil rig in the South China Sea. The location of an oil rig might not seem like enough to start a war. But the two countries are in an aggressive standoff that—given the politics of the region and the shared history between the two countries—has the potential to turn violent. But to understand what could happen next, it’s important to look at the history of conflict between China and Vietnam, and the military forces both sides have at their...

A large number of People’s Liberation Army troops have reportedly been spotted heading towards the China-Vietnam border as tensions between the two countries continue to escalate, reports Hong Kong’s Sing Tao Daily. Sing Tao Daily is generally considered to be aligned to Chinese state media. Thousands of Chinese nationals living or on business in Vietnam have already fled the country amid anti-China riots, which were sparked by a tense standoff between Chinese and Vietnamese naval ships near a Chinese oil rig in disputed waters off the Paracel Islands in the South China Sea on May 4. The Chinese foreign ministry...

Troops, tanks, trucks, artillery, and armored personnel carriers of China's military were seen heading to the Vietnamese border on May 16 and 17, according to photographs taken by by residents near the border. Chinese netizens have been posting photographs of the large movement of the People's Liberation Army, many of them showing Chinese troops in full combat gear heading to the local train station in Chongzuo, along with military vehicles. One netizen said the Chinese military was taking the train from the Chongzuo station to Pingxiang City, which shares a 60-mile border with Vietnam. The netizen said that the Huu...

China began evacuating hundreds of its nationals from Vietnam (via at least 2 planes and 5 ships) as the anti-China protests have become increasingly deadly following Beijing's attempt to deploy an oil drill in Vietnamese dispuited waters (detailed here, here, here, and here)... *CHINA SENDING 5 SHIPS TO VIETNAM TO EVACUATE CHINESE: XINHUA*HUNDREDS OF VIETNAMESE SECURITY IN CENTRAL HO CHI MINH CITY*VIETNAM PRIME MINISTER ISSUES DIRECTIVE TO PREVENT PROTESTS*VIETNAM GOVT TAKES ACTION TO PREVENT RIOTS: BINH Hundreds of police and security forces are in central Ho Chi Minh city and the Chinese consulate is under heavy guard. Tensions across...

(CNN) -- 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.

The Chinese Ministry of Public Security has warned against groups suspected of abducting and swindling Vietnamese brides, and promised to strictly crack down on illegal profiting from foreign marriage intermediaries, the Beijing News reports. As numerous Chinese netizens participated in the nationwide shopping spree on November 11, or Double 11, foreign marriage intermediaries also found business opportunities during the buying rush. A group purchasing website offered a lottery draw where winners could travel to Vietnam for a blind date for free. It claimed to provide legal services for Chinese men looking to become grooms. Both the Chinese and Vietnamese governments...

VietNamNet Bridge – Mr. Wei Zi Shen, Trade Consul of the Chinese Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City was upset about information on local newspapers which said that Chinese businesses bought odd things in Vietnam, causing impacts to the environment. Trucks carrying goods from Vietnam to China via the Tan Thanh border gate. He said: “I have kept up with Vietnamese newspapers. I’m upset and waiting for the conclusion of the Vietnamese authorities but I have not seen it. The local press only said that Chinese traders buy this and that stuff but they did not say how much...

NEW DELHI - India on Thursday called for principles of international law to be respected after an Indian warship sailing near Vietnam was told by China to change course - orders it ignored. It is the first such incident between navies of the two Asian giants, rivals for influence in Asia and beyond. Analysts say the two sides must move quickly to head off future confrontations. 'The incident took place on July 22 when Indian Naval Ship Airavat was sailing in international waters between the Vietnamese ports of Nha Trang and Hai Phong,' said a senior Indian official, confirming parts...