In their indictment, prosecutors accused one of the defendants, Ho Duc Hoa, 38 years old, of using the Internet to make contact with Viet Tan members in 2009 and to later attend allegedly subversive training courses in Thailand.

WSJ: Vietnam Court Sentences 14 and Bloggers to Up to 13 Years

On his return to Thailand, prosecutors say, Mr. Hoa, who received a 13-year prison term, recruited friends and acquaintances to join Viet Tan's efforts to establish a multiparty democracy in Vietnam, leading to their arrest in 2011 and subsequent conviction.

WSJ: Vietnam Court Sentences 14 and Bloggers to Up to 13 Years