A police officer directs traffic in front of the National Convention Center in Hanoi, Vietnam, on January 23, 2021. A court in Hanoi sentenced journalist Pham Doan Trang to nine years in prison on anti-state charges. (AP Photo/Hau Dinh)

Nine-year sentence for prominent journalist Pham Doan Trang reaffirms Vietnam’s ‘abysmal’ press freedom record