Several factories have
been set on fire amid anti-China protests at an industrial park in
southern Vietnam, amid tensions over the South China Sea.
No casualties have been reported but officials said many arrests were made.
The protests came after China moved a drilling rig into waters claimed by Vietnam earlier this month.
In a daily press briefing, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman said Vietnam was a "provocateur" and that Beijing had expressed concern to Hanoi.
Amid reports that Taiwanese factories in the park had sustained damage, Taiwan strongly condemned the protest and summoned the Vietnamese envoy to Taipei to express serious concern, according to state media.
A local official estimated that around 19,000 workers took part in the protest and that at least 15 factories were set on fire, according to local media. Some are reportedly owned by Taiwanese and South Korean companies.
One photo carried by Vietnamese media showed a factory had draped a South Korean flag at its entrance in a bid to stave off attacks.
The BBC also spoke to an employee of a Singaporean company in the industrial park who saw four burnt buildings on Wednesday morning.
Another eight were partially damaged, and had shattered windows and smashed front gates. These included buildings belonging to a Taiwan-founded shoe company.
"The protesters appeared to have targeted companies that had Chinese characters in their logos or signs," said the employee, who declined to be named.
The protest has spooked some foreign companies.
Reuters reported that Hong Kong-listed sports shoe maker Yue Yuen, which supplies footwear to Adidas, Nike and other international brands, had suspended production in Vietnam.
Earlier this month, China moved its Haiyang Shiyou 981 oil rig to a spot 120 nautical miles off the coast of Vietnam.
The area is near the Paracel Islands, over which China and Vietnam have contesting claims.
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