Vietnamese government urged to 'get out of China's orbit' over territorial dispute

Anger over Vietnam's handling of a territorial dispute with China has prompted a group of senior Communist Party members to call on the government to jettison communism for democracy and "get out of China's orbit".

Sixty-one prominent party members, including a former ambassador to Beijing, urged Vietnam's leadership in an open letter to change its political system, "develop a truly democratic, law-abiding state," allow for greater freedom of political speech and "escape" from its reliance on China.

"The party needs to get rid of Marxism-Leninism and get out of China's orbit," Chu Hao, former vice minister of science and technology and one of the letter's three co-authors, said. "It is … high time for the party to make a thorough transformation."

The July 28 letter adds pressure to the government after China moved an oil rig into contested territorial waters, setting off a wave of Vietnamese nationalism and deadly anti-Chinese riots in May.

The dispute has deepened the wedge between the two communist countries at a time when Vietnam's economy has become more dependent on Chinese investment and trade.

The letter calls on Vietnam to take legal action against China, something Vietnam Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung said the government is considering.