A Vietnamese man in Vinh Long Province, located in the Mekong Delta, has been sentenced to a 9-month prison term for desecrating the country’s flag.
Mai Vu Phuong, 19, was condemned on Wednesday to nine months behind bars by the People’s Court in Vinh Long City, the capital of Vinh Long Province, for disrespecting Vietnam’s national flag.
According to the case file, Phuong was being driven by his friend, Truong Thanh Vu, on a motorcycle around 10:30 pm on January 25 after the two had drunk.
The pair was pulled over by traffic police on Mau Than Street in Vinh Long City. Officials cited Phuong’s lack of a safety helmet as the reason for the stop.
Officers also breathalyzed Vu and found that his blood-alcohol content was higher than the limit for driving, resulting in a police report for the violation and the confiscation of his vehicle.
Phuong and Vu refused to sign the police’s report before deciding to walk home.
Ten minutes later, Phuong approached the headquarters of the local People’s Committee, he saw several national flags hung on some metal posts in front of the facility.
The man started to knock down eight of such pillars and tear up one of the flags before throwing it on the road.