(VOVworld) – Hundreds of Vietnamese people living and working in or near Washington DC gathered with their American friends outside the Chinese Embassy in Washington on Sunday to protest China’s placement of oil rig Haiyang 981 in Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone and asked China to withdraw the rig immediately.

Later the same day, around 100 overseas Vietnamese and their friends gathered in front of the Permanent Mission of the People's Republic of China to the United Nations in New York City to protest China’s actions.

Vietnamese people in Italy and their Italian friends marched in protest in front of the Chinese embassy in Rome on Sunday. The Vietnamese Students’ Association in Italy released a statement condemning China’s infringement of Vietnam’s maritime sovereignty. The statement says that Hoang Sa and Truong Sa belong to Vietnam and demands that China withdraw its oil rig and vessels from Vietnamese waters and refrain from conducting any illegal exploration or exploitation activity in Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone and continental shelf.

Vietnamese people across the Republic of Korea held meetings to protest China’s actions in the East Sea. The meetings were peaceful and in line with the law, but caught the attention of the mass media and public in Korea.

The Association of Vietnamese People in Angola held a meeting in Luanda on Sunday to raise money for Vietnam’s Marine Police. The Association demanded that China immediately stop its provocative acts and withdraw oil rig Haiyang 981 and escort vessels from Vietnamese waters.

The Vietnamese community in Australia marched on the weekend in Sydney to oppose China’s illegal actions in Vietnamese waters.      

The Czech-Vietnamese Association on Sunday issued a statement asking China to stop its illegal activities and withdraw the Haiyang 981 oil rig and escort vessels from Vietnam’s waters, and refrain from similar activities in the future.