The US government has expressed its concern and called for Vietnam to release six activists convicted of anti-state crimes, the State Department says.
Vietnam on Thursday handed down a total of 66 years in prison and 17 years under house arrest to six pro-democracy activists who were accused of sedition
Those convicted included a prominent human rights lawyer, Nguyen Van Dai, who was sentenced to 15 years in prison and five years under house arrest.
Five others each received between seven and 12 years in prison and between one and three years under house arrest.
The United States was deeply troubled by the harsh sentences under a "vague charge" and called for the release of all "prisoners of conscience" immediately, State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said in a statement.
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"Individuals have the right to the fundamental freedoms of expression, association, and peaceful assembly, both online and offline," Nauert said in a statement sent to dpa.
Dai was arrested in December 2015 along with his associate Le Thu Ha, and has been held in pre-trial detention ever since.
Dai founded the Committee for Human Rights in Vietnam in 2006, dedicating much of his life to civil society activities. However, he was arrested in 2007 and jailed for fours years for "anti-state propaganda."
Four more Brotherhood for Democracy activists were arrested in July 2017 and charged under the same article of the country's penal code.
Under Vietnamese law, dissent against the single-party communist state is banned.
