Deputy Director of Ha Noi Police, Le Huy, said at a press conference this week that call girls have changed their way of working from waiting on pavements or in motels, to luring customers on social networks such as Facebook and Zalo. — Photo thanhtra.com.vn

Lieutenant Colonel Le Huy, Deputy Chief of the Hanoi Criminal Police, said Hanoi has 10,347 conditional service establishments. The number of prostitutes in Hanoi is based on police data on prostitution-related violation cases.

Huy said the police agency was cooperating with related bodies to develop specialized software to manage prostitutes and to have accurate data about prostitution.

According to Lieutenant Colonel Huy, activities are disguised in massage parlors, massage garden cafes, and hairdressers.

The police officer said prostitution is concentrated in the suburbs, along major roads in some districts such as Cau Giay, Tay Ho, and Bac Tu Liem. Karaoke bars are usually the meeting place between sex workers and their clients, before they go to inns.

Prostitution in the form of “call-girls” is on the rise. Accordingly, sex workers and their clients discuss the prices and places to meet via Facebook, online forums or OTT service like Zalo.

"In addition, sex tours and prostitution among students and gay prostitution have been reported," Huy added.

The police official said this year Hanoi public security agency inspected conditional service established 36,094 times, through which they detected violations at 1,596 establishments.

In 2015, Hanoi police eliminated the public prostitution den in Van Phuc Ward of Ha Dong District and in front of the Vietnam-Soviet Cultural Palace. They also discovered and dismantled 234 prostitution rings, arrested 1,109 objects.

Commenting about HCM City’s proposal of grouping conditional service establishments into one zone for easier management, Huy said that in accordance with the law, prostitution is illegal so HCM City’s proposal should be researched carefully.

The police officer said that Hanoi police have collaborated with mobile networks to prevent prostitution via phones and internet.

Tri Thuc Tre