Noodle Vendor Sentenced to Over Five Years for Mocking Vietnamese Official

A noodle vendor named Bui Tuan Lam in Vietnam has been sentenced to five and a half years in prison for allegedly mocking a top Vietnamese government official by imitating a video of celebrity chef Salt Bae.
Lam had previously advocated for democracy and participated in protests critical of China and in favor of environmentalism.
The Vietnamese government is frequently accused of attempting to silence dissent and criticism of the ruling communist party.
Lam's trial and sentencing took just one day, demonstrating the Vietnamese government's intolerance for dissent.
There are currently at least 170 other individuals imprisoned in Vietnam for expressing views unacceptable to the communist party.