HANOI: A Vietnamese court has sentenced an American to 12 years in jail for what was described as an attempt to overthrow the Communist nation's government.
The state-owned Tuoi Tre newspaper reported Tuesday that 55-year-old Michael Nguyen was also convicted of inciting people to participating in protests with the intent to attack government offices in the capital, Hanoi, and southern Ho Chi Minh City.
Two Vietnamese men, Huynh Duc Thanh Binh, 23, and Tran Long Phi, 21, were sentenced to 10 and 8 years in prison respectively for the same charges after a half day trial Monday in Ho Chi Minh City.
They were arrested last July in Ho Chi Minh City after returning from Hue in central Vietnam where they had travelled to recruit more anti-government protesters, according to the state media report.
The protests Nguyen is accused of planning did not occur.
Protests are rare in Vietnam, where the Communist authorities do not tolerate criticism of the government. More than a dozen people were tried last year on charges of conducting anti-government propaganda.
Human Rights Watch ranks Vietnam among countries with the least freedom of expression.