A Vietnamese-American activist has returned to the United States after a 9-month detention on accusations of conspiring to overthrow the government.

Nguyen Quoc Quan smiled broadly as he was greeted by his wife and children shortly after 8 p.m. Wednesday after getting off a plane at Los Angeles International Airport.

A Foreign Ministry statement said Nguyen Quoc Quan had "confessed to his crime" and asked for leniency to be reunited with his family.

He was arrested in April and released Wednesday before being deported to the U.S. Authorities originally accused him of terrorism but later downgraded the charges to subversion.

The United States has been calling on Vietnam to release Quan, 59, who supporters say is a nonviolent advocate of democratic reforms in Vietnam.