Vietnam Sentences Doan Bao Chau to 7 Years for Anti‑State Propaganda

On 3 August 2026 the Hanoi People's Court sentenced 58‑year‑old Doan Bao Chau, a karate practitioner, to seven years in prison for “making, storing, disseminating or propagating information, documents or items aimed at opposing the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.” Prosecutors said six videos he posted between 2016 and 2021 on a Facebook account “Chau Doan” and a YouTube channel contained psychological‑warfare rhetoric, false news and attacks on state institutions.

Chau was tried in absentia after fleeing following a 2025 arrest warrant. The court also imposed a five‑year probation period after the prison term and a fine of 200,000 dong, noting that his conduct threatened national security and public order and urging him to surrender for possible leniency.