Vietnam's Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has expressed his intention to take legal actions against China in the wake of the latter's oil rig deployment to a disputed portion of the South China Sea.

This is the first time that Dung has brought up possible legal measures against China. The comments, which were sent as a written response to queries, would likely ignite Beijing's fury, according to an exclusive report by the Reuters.

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In an email sent on Wednesday while visiting Manila, Dung said Vietnam is exploring various legal actions in line with international policies. He did not detail his other options, but the prime minister put emphasis on the sacredness of Vietnam's territorial sovereignty.

Anti-Chinese sentiment erupted in Vietnam last week after the oil rig incident. Hanoi said the CNOOC-owned deepwater rig was within its 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ) while China claimed the rig was within its own waters.

Meanwhile, Washington has reprimanded Beijing over its series of "provocative" actions towards its Asian neighbors.

Dung said Vietnam had attempted to settle the dispute through a friendly dialogue but China had responded with intimidation and increasing aggressiveness.

China claims ownership of 90% of the South China Sea. Some portions of the potentially oil-rich waters are also being claimed by the Taiwan, Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam, and the Philippines.

The Philippines has already filed a formal case to an arbitration body in The Hague, disputing China's ownership claims to the South China Sea in late March. This was the first time that China has received international legal attention over the said waters.

Beijing, however, has refused to participate in the case and even warned that this could cause serious damage to its relations with Manila.

According to experts, a ruling against Beijing could trigger some of its neighbors to challenge China's stake to the South China Sea. Manila, however, has said the international tribunal is not expected to release a verdict until the end of 2015.