The trial for the murder of Kim Jong Nam – the estranged half-brother of DPRK leader Kim Jong Un – has come to an unexpected end in Malaysia. Less than three weeks ago, Indonesian Siti Aisyah was freed after the prosecution dropped the murder charge against her. And today Malaysia's attorney general offered her former co-accused, Vietnamese Doan Thi Huong the chance to plead guilty to a lesser charge and escape the threat of the death penalty. Kim Jong Nam died at Kuala Lumpur's budget air terminal after Doan rubbed the deadly nerve agent VX on his face. Rian Maelzer has more.

Doan Thi Huong left the courthouse not quite a free woman yet.

But a happy one.

The attorney general agreed to drop the murder charge if Doan pleaded guilty to an alternative charge of voluntarily causing harm using the nerve agent VX, and she took the offer.

The judge sentenced Doan to three years, four months. Since she's already been in custody more than two years, and with the normal one-third sentence reduction, she will walk free in just over a month.

Doan's supporters in court including her father applauded, while the judge said she was a very lucky person.

RIAN MAELZER SHAH ALAM, MALAYSIA "Doan spoke with a handful of reporters who remained in the courtroom after the verdict. She said she was very happy and thankful to the Malaysian attorney general, her lawyers, the Vietnamese government and bar association and the media, and said when she returns to Vietnam, she wants to be a singer or actress."

DOAN THI HU FATHER OF DOAN THI HUONG "I hope that my daughter will be released soon in one month and I'm very happy. I would like to extend my thank you to all the journalists and the lawyers here."

Doan was seen on airport CCTV footage apparently applying the substance to Kim Jong Nam's face, unlike her co-accused Siti Aisyah.

HISYAM TEH POH TEIK LAWYER FOR DOAN THI HUONG "She was naive and gullible, and Hashimori and saw her weakness and exploited and manipulated her to carry out their evil designs under the camouflage of funny videos."

LE QUY QUYNH VIETNAM'S AMBASSADOR TO MALAYSIA "I have to say that Doan Thi Huong is a victim in this case like the Indonesian Siti Aisyah."

Doan's lawyers say there will be no true justice until the four DPRK men – described as the masterminds of the plot and who fled right after the attack – are brought back to stand trial. And that seems a remote possibility indeed.

Rian Maelzer, CGTN, Shah Alam, Malaysia.