Vietnam asks Philippines to deal with protesters tearing Vietnamese flag

Spokeswoman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Pham Thu Hang said at a Thursday press meet that "The act to vandalize the Vietnamese national flag is an insult to the feelings of the Vietnamese people and must be severely condemned."

"We request the Philippine side to strictly handle the case, take effective measures to prevent the above behavior from recurring, which could affect the effective development of strategic partnership between the two countries," Hang said.

Around 50 people in the Philippines on Tuesday protested in front of the Vietnamese Embassy in Malate, Manila, the Manila Bulletin reported. Manila police said the protest began at around 9:45 a.m. and ended in around 15 minutes.