Prominent blogger and environmental activist Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh has been formally charged by the Hanoi government for anti-state propaganda, according to VOA Vietnamese news.

Quynh, also known as Mother Mushroom, faces up to 12 years in prison if found guilty.

She has been charged with three criminal counts under Article 88 which outlaws propaganda against the State.

The vaguely worded law has drawn international criticism for the power it gives the government to suppress dissent.

In March, Quynh received the US State Department’s International Women of Courage Award.

The 37-year-old was the only honouree unable to attend the Washington, D.C., ceremony because she was in prison.

Quynh has been detained since October last year.