The piece, which appeared on the Web site on Sept. 4, described a Chinese military exercise on the disputed Paracel Islands in the South China Sea. It quoted a Chinese officer who said the purpose of the mission was to "defend the fatherland's southern sea frontier."

Editor Dao Duy Quat was fined 30 million dong ($1,700) for reprinting the article, which originally appeared in a Chinese newspaper, said Nguyen Van Hung, chief inspector at the Ministry of Information and Communications.

Hung said Quat had violated a government decree that prohibits publication of unauthorized information.

The editor was not available for comment Wednesday.

The story unleashed a wave of protests in Vietnam's flourishing blogosphere.

"Only blind people did not see how dangerous it was to publish such an article on the online newspaper of the Party," blogger and writer Nguyen Quang Lap wrote.

The party Web site ran an apology, saying the article was a "mistake that caused regrettable consequences and created discontent among readers."

The largely uninhabited islands in the South China Sea, claimed by both Vietnam and China, straddle busy sea lanes and are believed to have large oil and natural gas reserves.

Many Vietnamese are deeply suspicious of their giant northern neighbor's territorial and natural resources ambitions.

Chinese involvement with a bauxite mine in Vietnam's Central Highlands has also prompted widespread concern among Vietnamese bloggers, as has another territorial dispute with China over the Spratly Islands.

Recently, two Vietnamese bloggers and an online journalist were detained for posting entries critical of the government's handling of relations with China.