Ho Chi Minh City's People's Court doled out a five-year prison sentence to a 42-year-old resident for disseminating slanderous and libellous information against the State of Vietnam, on May 15.

The court also ordered that Tran Quoc Hien, a HCMC resident, would also be placed under house arrest for a maximum of two years following his release from prison.

Hien pleaded guilty, showing remorse and pledging to split from reactionary groups such as Bloc 8406, of which he was a member from July 2006.

The court heard that Hien was also a member of the “Vietnam Workers-Farmers Alliance,” which was founded by overseas extremists and issued a joint statement announcing the opening of the organisation’s representative office in Ho Chi Minh City.

The announcement contained fabricated and distorted information against Vietnam and called on the public to hold general strikes and riot against the state. (VNA)