Recently arrested Phan Thị Nguyệt Mai and Lương Văn Dũng. Photo suckhoedoisong.vn

The Ministry of Public Security, in collaboration with the Department of Drug and Crime Prevention of the Border Guard Command, Hưng Yên Province's police, and Laos' police, has dismantled a human trafficking ring that exploited Vietnamese women for sexual purposes in Laos.

Several victims were rescued as part of the operation.

Authorities have arrested and charged two individuals from northern Việt Nam for trafficking minors under the age of 16: Phan Thị Nguyệt Mai (born 1991, residing in Lý Nhân, Vĩnh Tường, Vĩnh Phúc Province) and Lương Văn Dũng (born 1989, residing in Ninh Hạ, Nhật Tân, Tiên Lữ, Hưng Yên Province). Mai is identified as the ringleader, while Dũng played a key role in the operation.

In late 2021, Mai and Dũng began living together in Hưng Yên, where Dũng managed around six employees working at karaoke establishments, with Mai recruiting workers to support his operations, according to the police.

Rescued victims return to Việt Nam through Tây Trang Border Gate in Điện Biên. Photo suckhoedoisong.vn

By early 2023, Mai proposed expanding their activities to Laos, where they could earn more money by forcing women into prostitution. Mai returned to Việt Nam to recruit women under the guise of hiring karaoke staff, using a Facebook account under the name 'Trần Trang' to post job advertisements.

In March 2024, Mai recruited two young women, Đ.T.Tr (born 2009 in Tuy Hòa, south-central province Phú Yên) and O.T.K (born 2006 in central province Nghệ An). Mai promised them lucrative opportunities and transported them from Hưng Yên to Điện Biên Province in the north and then across the Tây Trang border to Laos. Upon reaching the Boten Special Economic Zone in Luang Namtha Province, Laos, Mai handed the victims over to a female trafficker known as Trang 'Tàu'. The victims were coerced into prostitution to repay fabricated debts of VNĐ68 million (US$2,700).

One of the victims, Đ.T.Tr, managed to escape and return to Việt Nam after two weeks of captivity. This escape provided vital information for the authorities, leading to coordinated raids in September 2024. Five women were rescued during simultaneous operations in karaoke establishments linked to the trafficking network

Hà Thị Thu Trang, also known as Trang 'Tàu' and her husband while captured by Lao police forces. Photo suckhoedoisong.vn

Further investigations revealed that Mai and Dũng had trafficked several women to Laos, handing them over to Trang 'Tàu' to exploit them for prostitution, primarily targeting Chinese clients in Boten. The Ministry of Public Security and the Lao Police conducted joint operations to arrest suspects and rescue victims in Boten, targeting properties managed by both Vietnamese and Chinese nationals.

The operations led to the arrest of four key suspects, including two Chinese nationals, Hu Ping (born 1991) and Chen QinBo (born 1979), and two Vietnamese women, Đinh Thị Ngọc Linh (born 1998, Phú Thọ Province) and Hoàng Thị Ành (born 1998, Lai Châu Province). These suspects managed facilities involved in human trafficking and were detained for further investigation.

On November 10, the Lao Ministry of Security extradited Hà Thị Thu Trang (alias Trang 'Tàu') to Vietnamese authorities, along with 13 victims linked to the dismantled operation. Trang and the victims are currently being questioned to aid the ongoing investigation. —VNS