According to initial reports of the case, the victims include three men and one woman from the northern province of Vinh Phuc, the northern province of Thai Nguyen, and the Mekong Delta province of Ben Tre.

The victims were said to have got acquainted with the criminals via social media who then persuaded them to come and work in the Bo Keo Special Economic Zone in Laos for a salary of VND30 million to VND40 million per month.

Upon entering Laos, they discovered that the people they had been in contact with were human traffickers. They were forced to pay VND200 million to VND300 million in exchange for their release.

After receiving a report, border guards co-operated with Blue Dragon Children's Foundation, a non-governmental organisation based in Hanoi, to rescue the victims.

VOV