Olympic torch arrives to cheers on stop in Vietnam

Ho Chi Minh City: The Olympic torch was paraded through the streets of Vietnam's largest city on Tuesday on the final leg of an international tour that has been dogged by protests against China.

Hundreds of flag waving supporters cheered as the relay began in downtown Ho Chi Min City. Security along the route was tight and there were no immediate signs of protesters.

Earlier in the capital, Hanoi, police detained several people for an anti-China banner and shouting "Boycott the Beijing Olympics" in a market, two witnesses said. Police refused to comment on the incident.

Vietnam has assured its communist ally and northern neighbour it will not allow demonstrators to disrupt the parade, though students have threatened to protest China's claim to the disputed Spratly Islands.

The torch arrived in Vietnam late on Monday from North Korea, where tens of thousands of citizens were mobilised to celebrate the relay in Pyongyang in the flame's first visit to the authoritarian nation.

At many of its 18 stops, the relay has been beset by protests against China's human rights record and a recent crackdown in Tibet following anti-government riots. Large groups of patriotic, flag-waving Chinese have also turned out, in some cases clashing with protesters.

From Vietnam, the flame will travel to the Chinese territories of Hong Kong and Macau before heading to the mainland, including the restive Tibet region and to the top of Mount Everest.