His trial had been due to take place shortly before US President Barack Obama visited the country in July. The US Embassy in Hanoi released a statement yesterday which says, according to Bloomberg Law: 'The use of tax laws by Vietnamese authorities to imprison government critics for peacefully expressing their political views is disturbing'. The embassy added that the sentence 'appears to be inconsistent with the rights to freedom of expression and Vietnam’s obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and commitments reflected in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights'. His lawyer says he plans to appeal.