Vietnam and China hackers escalate Spratly Islands row

Computer hackers from Vietnam and China have launched campaigns against each other, targeting hundreds of websites including government sites, amid rising anger over a territorial dispute.

Chinese hackers posted Chinese flags on Vietnamese sites, and Vietnamese put images of armed men on Chinese sites.

Both sides claim ownership of islands in the South China Sea.

On the weekend, hundreds of Vietnamese protested against Chinese naval operations in disputed waters.

Relations between Vietnam and China have long been awkward, but public protests are extremely rare.

The demonstrations in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City followed a confrontation between a Vietnamese ship and Chinese patrol boats.

Hanoi accused a Chinese patrol of cutting the cables of a Vietnamese ship conducting seismic research about 120km (80 miles) off Vietnam's coast.

The Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan also claim territory in the South China Sea.

The area includes important shipping routes and may contain oil and gas deposits.