Defendant Trương Anh Thư, 41, appears at a hearing at the HCM City People’s Court on June 25. — VNA/VNS Photo

HCM CITY — The People’s Court of HCM City on Thursday sentenced a 41-year-old woman to five years in prison for the offence of “making, storing, disseminating or propagating information, documents and materials against the State of the Socialist Republic of Việt Nam.”

According to the indictment, since October 14, 2011, Trương Anh Thư established, managed and operated two YouTube channels which published and shared videos and posts related to national leaders, as well as the Party’s guidelines and the State’s policies and laws. The channels attracted a total of approximately 93,000 views.

Between April and May 2025, Thư uploaded four video clips that were later determined to contain content in violation of the law.

A forensic assessment by the HCM City Department of Culture and Sports concluded that the videos and accompanying comments violated provisions of the Law on Cybersecurity, including content infringing upon the legitimate rights and interests of organisations and individuals, distorting historical facts, denying revolutionary achievements, undermining national unity, and spreading false information that caused public confusion.

The investigation agency determined that the defendant’s acts seriously affected public order and State management in cyberspace.

During the proceedings, the court noted that the defendant suffered from a personality disorder, which limited her cognitive awareness and behavioural control at the time of the offence.

The court’s judgment may be appealed in accordance with the law. — VNS