A Vietnamese appeals court has cut in half the sentence of a Vietnamese-French blogger.

Pham Minh Hoang was arrested in August, 2010 and sentenced to three years in prison for subversion.

The appeals court cut the sentence to 17 months, meaning he will be released in January. He will still have to serve three years of house arrest after his release.

The blogger posted more than 30 articles critical of Vietnam's communist government, which does not tolerate dissent.

His lawyer, Tran Vu Hai, announced the court's decision Tuesday after a hearing in Ho Chi Minh City that lasted just a few hours.