Do Van Quen, 35, and Vann Nath, 38, were sentenced to three years in jail, while Nguyen Van Khai, 56, was sentenced to 2.5 years, all for "brokering illegal exit in Vietnam", according to An Giang Province People’s Court, local media reported.

The Mekong Delta province borders Cambodia.

On June 18 last year, the trio was caught carrying migrants by boat from Vietnam to Cambodia in An Phu District and Khanh An Commune. This happened as Vietnam and Cambodia shut down their borders as a Covid-19 prevention measure. Those allowed to cross the border must enter quarantine.

Following their arrests, the three confessed to having successfully smuggled 12 migrants into Cambodia on three separate occasions. Quen got paid VND1.2 million ($51.90), Nath VND2.4 million and Khai VND600,000 for the ordeal.

It's not revealed what the migrants were coming to Cambodia for. But similar groups have been caught en route to sneaking to Thailand for work.