HANOI, May 16 -- Each Vietnamese person must be responsible for protecting foreign investors and labors, and if Vietnam fails to do this, the country's investment environment and future will be destroyed, said Vietnam's Minister of Planning and Investment (MPI) Bui Quang Vinh.

Vinh made the appeal in an interview on Friday with Bao Dau Tu (Vietnam Investment Review), a newspaper under Vietnam's MPI.

In the past two or three days, several people have mingled into mild demonstrations, pretending to be local workers to provoke spontaneous activities, causing damage to assets of some foreign enterprises, said Vinh.

The incident did not stop in south Binh Duong province but spreading to other provinces, leading to worry and confusion among foreign investors in Vietnam and having negative impacts on Vietnam's long-built investment environment, the official said.

As a managing organization of foreign investment activities," MPI immediately sent documents to people's committee of central provinces, managing boards of processing zones, industrial parks, provincial planning and investment departments on instruction over the issue," the minister said, noting that prompt measures should be implemented to save lives and assets of enterprises, overcome consequences and cooperate with companies to soon return to production, business activities.

"Local Vietnamese people and workers should understand that Vietnam is always stressing importance to maintaining long-lasting relationship between the Chinese people and companies. As they come to invest and work in Vietnam, they are making contribution to Vietnam's socio-economic development and are protected by Vietnamese laws," the minister affirmed.

Vinh concluded his interview by saying that the incident was a pity, and all levels of Vietnamese authorities are sympathetic with companies and investors.

Vietnam is striving to prevent the incidents from occurring or spreading. Those who had provoked the violence are under investigation for being strictly handled according to law's regulations, said Vinh.

The anti-China looting and arson in Vietnam came after Vietnamese ships and personnel repeatedly harassed the normal operations of a Chinese oil company in waters only 17 nautical miles (27 kilometers) from China's Xisha Islands and about 150 nautical miles (241 kilometers) from Vietnam in the South China Sea.

From May 3 to May 7, Vietnam dispatched 36 vessels, which rammed Chinese vessels 171 times.

A Chinese enterprise was carrying out normal oil drilling activities in China's Xisha Islands and its contiguous zone, activities which had started 10 years ago, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said.

However, the Vietnamese Foreign Ministry on May 7 said Vietnam "cannot accept China's illegal drilling rig HD-981" and "it is an infringement of Vietnam's sovereignty."

With distorted information published by Vietnam's state-run media, the largest anti-China demonstrations in 10 years have been held throughout Vietnam since May 9, and the bloody attacks on Chinese nationals and companies have spread from southern Vietnam Tuesday to central and northern Vietnam Thursday.

Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung on Thursday ordered the Ministry of Public Security and other ministries, sectors and localities nationwide to take firm measures to prevent and punish those who incited others to disturb law and social order.

According to the directive on the Vietnamese government's website, the prime minister requested local authorities to protect businesses and their production, especially foreign ones, and to urgently help and support the enterprises to resume business and production soon.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang on Wednesday accused the Vietnamese vessels which had rammed Chinese ships of violating China's sovereignty and jurisdiction. He urged the Vietnamese side to calm down, respect China's sovereignty and jurisdiction and not to attempt to further complicate and aggravate the situation.