A court in Lam Dong Province on Sept. 24 opened a trial for Hoang Viet Khanh, 41, a social media user living in Duc Trong District. It sentenced him to eight years on charges of “making, storing, and distributing information, documents, and items critical of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam” under Article 117 of the Penal Code. After his sentence, Khanh also must serve an additional three years of house arrest.

Hoang Viet Khanh has a Facebook account with over 45,000 followers, and he often shares his commentaries on different social, economic, and political issues. On Feb. 19, 2024, the Security Investigation Bureau of the Lam Dong Provincial Police Department arrested and prosecuted him under Article 117 due to his alleged spreading of “anti-state” materials.

The court’s indictment alleges that he used this account to “spread false information,” “distort history and the policies of the party and the state,” and “slander senior leaders of the party.” According to the prosecutors, a total of 126 postings and one video clip that Khanh shared on his personal social media account contained information that “counter the policies of the party and the state in economic and socio-political fields.” The judging panel announced in its verdict that Khanh's activities “pose a danger to society and national security and negatively affect political security and social order.”

Among the cited articles that Khanh shared on his Facebook page, a posting published on April 30, 2019, which marked the 1975 victory of Communist forces in the Vietnam War, proposed a four-point suggestion to the National Assembly that allegedly sought to promote fundamental changes to Vietnam’s political landscape.

The post called for replacing the socialist country’s national flag and anthem and encouraged the regime to cremate Ho Chi Minh’s body under Ho’s official last will and testament. It also urged the party to abolish Article 4 in the Constitution, which enshrined the Communist Party’s role as a leading force of the state and society.