Ha Huy Son, the lawyer of Ha Huy Hoang, says Hoang was convicted of providing information to a Chinese intelligence agency in a trial that lasted half a day today.
Son quoted Hoang, a former reporter at the ministry's World and Vietnam newspaper, as telling the court that he did not know a woman he was in contact with worked for the Chinese intelligence agency, and that the information he provided was public and did not involve state secrets.
The case comes ahead of an expected official visit to Vietnam later this year by Chinese President Xi Jinping.