Chinese national Chen Xian Fa, 27, was sentenced to eight years in jail, while Ho Thi Thu Trinh, 24, was sentenced to six years and Huynh Ngoc Diem, 41, five years. All were charged with "brokering illegal entry into Vietnam," the central city's People's Court heard.

Trinh was a student of Chinese and Diem a teacher at a secondary school in Da Nang. They met when Diem hired Trinh to teach her Chinese. The due often found houses available for rent, and published the info about the houses on Chinese social media app Wechat.

On June 23, Fa contacted Trinh, saying he wanted to rent a house. Both Diem and Trinh knew Fa did not have a visa to enter Vietnam, but still accepted his request.

Diem subsequently rented a house in Ngu Hanh Son District for VND19 million ($820) a month, before deciding with Trinh to raise the rent to VND23 million a month so they could gain from the deal. The renting period was three months.

On June 28, Fa, along with three other Chinese nationals, entered Vietnam illegally from China. They were then taken by a Vietnamese driver to Da Nang.

While Fa and the other Chinese stayed in the house, Diem and Trinh helped them buy food and other necessities. When police inspected the premises on July 11, they found the Chinese and several laptops and mobile phones. Diem and Trinh were summoned soon after.

Fa, with the assistance of Diem and Trinh, had successfully brought Chinese into Vietnam illegally several times, prosecutors said.

In court, Fa stated he had moved to Da Nang to market Vietnamese products to online Chinese customers, adding the laptops and phones were used to such ends.

After completing his sentence, Fa will be deported from Vietnam, the court further heard.

In recent years, Da Nang police have solved several cases in which Chinese have illegally entered Vietnam for online gambling purposes.

Culprits were reported to have rented houses, using scores of laptops and cell phones along with their own wireless routers to ensure a private internet feed.