Hanoi mayor Chu Ngoc Anh (standing) at a meeting of the municipal administration. (Illustrative image)

The Hanoi leader gave the direction after he was reported on a number of sexual harassments targeting foreign women in the West Lake area, a senior official of Hanoi told local media on March 4.

Immediately Lieutenant General Nguyen Hai Trung, director of the Hanoi Police assigned the Criminal Police Department to get down to investigation and track down a group of people accused of sexually harassing at least 4 foreign women in West Lake.

According to Trung, the police are checking CTTV footage to collect evidence and identify those involved in the case in the shortest possible time.

The police summoned a young man who was accused of carrying out sexual violence against foreign women in Tay Ho District for interrogations. They also invited four foreign victims to the scene of the attacks in order to gather more information and evidence. 

Mai Trong Thang, head of Tay Ho District’s police division noted that it is hard to catch criminals if victims refuse to report the case to the police. He called on those who fall victim to similar attacks to report immediately and actively coordinate with the investigation agency to find the culprit. 

Deputy PM demands strict action against assaults on women in Hanoi

Permanent Deputy Prime Minister Truong Hoa Binh has requested the Hanoi People’s Committee direct relevant agencies to promptly verify reports on assaults on women in the vicinity of West Lake.

Some e-newspapers recently reported that between late January and late February, some youngsters wearing face masks and driving motorbikes near West Lake in Hanoi’s Tay Ho district assaulted many foreign women, as well as Vietnamese girls.

The assaults and attacks on foreigners in this area happened repeatedly with the number of victims reportedly reaching dozens, which has scared many foreign women when coming to the West Lake area and discouraged them from going outside in the evening, the papers said.

Deputy PM Binh demanded that if the reports are confirmed, Hanoi authorities must take immediate measures to prevent and strictly punish those who commit those acts. He instructed that the outcome of the handling of those cases must be publicised on mass media outlets./.

VOV/VNA

Hanoi police step up investigations into sexual assaults against foreigners

The police in Hanoi’s Tay Ho district invited four foreign victims of sexual assaults to the scenes of the crime on March 2 in order to conduct field investigations as a way of gathering more evidence and witness testimony.

Sexual predators targeting foreign women wanted in Hanoi

Police operating in Tay Ho District of Hanoi are searching for a group of Vietnamese suspects who are accused of targeting foreign women in the area.