HANOI – Demonstrators have marched in Vietnam’s capital
to mark the 28th anniversary of a bloody naval battle with China and to
denounce Beijing’s growing assertiveness in the hotly contested waters of the
South China Sea.

About 150 people wearing headbands and carrying large
banners circled the busy streets around Hanoi’s Hoan Kiem lake chanting
“down with invasive China”. They laid wreaths for 64 Vietnamese
sailors who died in a 1988 clash with Chinese forces in the Spratly islands.

The protest was small, but significant given Vietnam’s
history of preventing or breaking up demonstrations. While anti-China sentiment
is strong among the public, it is a sensitive issue for the ruling Communist
Party.

Police made no attempt to stop the 90-minute protest,
which was larger than those last year, including one on the eve of Chinese
President Xi Jinping’s visit to Hanoi in November.

The rally comes amid tension, brinkmanship and a torrent
of megaphone diplomacy in response to anything from Chinese flights and
deployment of a missile system to United States “freedom of
navigation” patrols and Japanese defence agreements with the Philippines.

Vietnam’s Foreign Ministry last month accused China of
taking actions that threaten peace and “accelerate militarisation”.

Monday’s demonstration was over a battle in the Johnson
Reef in the Spratly islands. Accounts of it differ greatly and Vietnam does not
commemorate the incident officially.

“That was the first step in China’s plan to
militarise the South China Sea,” said activist Nguyen Van Phuong, 29, referring
to the 1988 hostilities.

Though Vietnam opposes China’s occupation of the Paracel
Islands and parts of the Spratly archipelago, its responses to Beijing’s
activities in disputed areas are usually measured and often come days after
those of other countries.

China is Vietnam’s biggest trade partner and the
communist parties that run both countries have historically been close,
although some Vietnamese leaders have said trust has been impacted of late.

– Reuters