Vietnam Says ‘Anti-State’ Groups Incited Nationwide Protests

Vietnam said the groups behind Sunday’s protests against proposed laws demonstrators view as curbing Internet freedom and favoring Chinese investors were trying to damage the country’s image, after the rare display of public activism reportedly turned violent.

Thousands of demonstrators from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City rallied against draft cyber and economic-zone laws being considered by the National Assembly that some view as curbing Internet freedom and favoring Chinese investors. Protesters in the southeast coastal province of Binh Thuan attacked the local People’s Committee with rocks and Molotov cocktails, setting ablaze motorbikes late in the evening, according to local media.