At least 1,000 protesters stormed a Taiwanese steel mill in Ha Tinh late Wednesday resulting to more than 20 deaths, according to a statement released by company officials on Thursday.

Five Vietnamese workers and 16 others described as Chinese were killed in the scuffle as violent protests and looting spread from southern Vietnam to the rest of the country.

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The steel mill which was targeted in the attack is slotted to be the largest steel plant once it is completed in 2017. There were no further reports as to the extent of the damage or how the riots will affect the factory's completion deadline.

Formosa Plastics Group, Taiwan's largest investor in Vietnam, is the company constructing the steel mill.  

A large concern regarding growing unrest in Vietnam is that Taiwanese factories and employees, often mistaken for Chinese, are bearing the brunt of many of the attacks and looting.

Several Taiwanese factories were targeted for violence and burning on Tuesday causing the Taiwan government to issue a stern statement requesting Vietnam to protect Taiwanese citizens.

Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung reacted to the recent incident by calling on police and other authorities to restore order and ensure the safety of people and property in the affected areas.

Protests and violence in the region reflect the growing animosity of Vietnamese toward Chinese due to China solidifying ownership of portions of the South China Sea previously claimed by the Vietnamese government.

On Wednesday, the conflict extended to the Philippines where a formal protest was lodged over signs that China is reclaiming land at a contested coral reef.

So far, neither Vietnam nor the Philippines have received much backing from other countries in Southeast Asia and, as both nations remain dependent upon China for investment and aid, it is unclear how protests will impact the relationships going forward.

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