VietNamNet Bridge – Vietnamese American man Ly Tong on June 22 was sentenced to six months in jail and three years probation for attacking Vietnamese singer Dam Vinh Hung, nearly two years ago in the US.



However, Tong has already been detained so he will be only in jail for 54 more days at the Santa Clara County prison, California.

Earlier, at the trial on May 24, Ly Tong was found guilty of four counts before the court in San Jose, including: two misdemeanors -- simple assault and resisting arrest and two felonies -- using tear gas, and burglary with the intent to commit a felony.

The maximal penalty for these crimes is three years and eight months in jail. Tong was jailed immediately after the verdict was announced.

On July 18, 2010, Tong, disguised as a woman, confronted singer Dam Vinh Hung while Hung was performing at the Santa Clara Convention Center in 2010, spraying something into Hung’s face and chest.

At the last hearing, jurymen could not determine whether Ly Tong used tear gas or fish sauce mixed with perfume, as Tong claimed. Tong was found innocent of using tear gas.



Dam Vinh Hung said he was surprised and disappointed of the penalty for Ly Tong. Previously he confirmed that Ly Tong sprayed tear gar into his face, not fish-sauce and perfume.

However, Hung said he respected the court’s decision and ‘forgave’ Ly Tong.

Ly Tong, whose real name is Le Van Tong, was born in the central province of Thua Thien-Hue in 1946. He was arrested and sentenced in 1993 to 20 years in prison in Vietnam for hijacking a Vietnam Airlines jetliner. He was set free after serving just 6 years.

Tong used to hijack airplanes in Cuba, Thailand and South Korea and was detained several times.

In January 2000, he violated Vietnamese airspace and when he returned to Thailand, he was arrested for violating Thai airspace. Tong was sentenced by a Thai court to seven years in prison. He was released in 2006.

VOV/NLD