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Vietnam prepares to welcome Olympic torch for international relay

AP - Tuesday, April 29

HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam - Vietnam was preparing Monday to welcome the Olympic torch for the final international leg of a relay that has been dogged by anti-Chinese protests.

Few expected large demonstrations or attempts to disrupt the rally in Vietnam, but students have threatened to protest China's claim to the disputed Spratly Islands.

The flame will arrive in Vietnam from North Korea late Monday for an early evening parade Tuesday in southern Ho Chi Minh City, which was once known as Saigon. The relay is scheduled to begin outside the city's 19th century opera hall at 1100GMT.

After Vietnam, the torch will head to the Chinese territories of Hong Kong and Macau before touring the mainland including the restive Tibet province, ahead of the Beijing Olympic Games in August.

Vietnamese authorities have given few details about the relay, including its route through the city, apparently for security reasons. State media ran few stories about the event in Monday's papers.

"The relay is an honor and also a responsibility," said Nguyen Hoang Nang, director of Ho Chi Minh City's Sports Department, at a briefing Sunday. Officials did not make themselves available for comment Monday.

China and Vietnam fought a border war in 1979 but relations between the two communist countries have improved greatly in recent years.

Human rights groups and supporters of Tibetan independence have protested the torch at many of its 18 stops around the globe so far. Large groups of patriotic, flag-waving Chinese have also turned out, in some cases clashing with protesters.

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