VUNG ANG, Vietnam, May 19 -- The first of the four ships China has dispatched to evacuate its nationals affected in the recent violence in Vietnam left this port on Monday with 989 evacuees.

The passenger vessel, Wuzhishan, is expected to arrive at the southern Chinese port city of Haikou on Tuesday morning.

Following Wuzhishan's departure, the second ship, Tongguling, will dock at the central Vietnamese port to continue the evacuation mission.

Four Chinese ships, each with an accommodation capacity of about 1,000 passengers, have been sent to bring home some 4,000 Chinese nationals, and two others are on stand-by. Some wounded Chinese workers have already been flown home aboard two chartered flights.

Central and southern Vietnamese provinces witnessed a spate of violent protests against foreign companies last week, which left at least two Chinese dead and more than 100 injured.

The protests, lootings and arson attacks came after Vietnamese ships and personnel repeatedly harassed the normal operations of a Chinese oil company in undisputed waters in the South China Sea.

Beijing has condemned the violence and demanded that Vietnam take resolute and effective measures to stop all violence, ensure the safety of all Chinese nationals and companies, punish all perpetrators and compensate affected Chinese companies and nationals.