Vietnam eyes Philippine court case while weighing options on China row

TOKYO (Reuters) - Vietnam is closely watching how the Philippines fares in an international court over its maritime territorial dispute with China, as Hanoi seeks to resolve peacefully its row with Beijing in the South China Sea, Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam said.

In an interview with Reuters on Thursday, Dam repeated Hanoi's demand that China withdraw a huge oil rig deployed by Chinese state oil company CNOOC 240 km (150 miles) off the coast of Vietnam in waters also claimed by Hanoi. But he said Vietnam was not setting a deadline for Beijing to meet its demand.