Chinese sweets turn sour

More than 700 kilograms of confectionary products suspected of being smuggled from China were seized today, said the Ha Noi Market Management Bureau.

A truck was spotted by police under Long Bien Bridge in Hoan Kiem District waiting to deliver a supply of 18,000 sweets products.

Driver Pham Van Hung, from Hai Phong City, allegedly failed to present legal documents proving the origin of the goods.

He admitted being hired by a yet unidentified person to transport the Chinese confectionary products from Hai Phong to Ha Noi.

The case is under further investigation.

Thief gets death penalty for killing 3 people

A dog thief was yesterday sentenced to death for killing three people, while he and his accomplices were attempting to steal dogs.

En route to the local market to sell three stolen dogs on June 14 last year, Ho Van Hieu, 20, from Hooc Mon District, was spotted by three residents, who had chased him on a motorbike to make him stop.

Hieu reportedly used a power gun to shoot the right arm of Nguyen Minh Phuong, the man seated in the middle. The electric shock had forced Phuong and the man seated him, Pham Nguyen Quoc Huu, off the bike.

The two men were later rushed to the hospital but had died shortly after.

Meanwhile, the motorbike driver Huynh Kim Bao had lost control and crashed into a resident's house on the same road. He had died on the spot.

Following the accident, Hieu and his accomplices Le Minh Hau, 20, Ho Thanh An, 20, and Pham Ngoc Thuan, 28, had sold the dogs for VND960,000 (US$44).

The group had surrendered before the police two days later.

Meanwhile, Hau was sentenced to 12 years in prison, while An and Thuan were both sentenced to 10 years for thieving.

HCM City needs 20,000 new employees next month

The HCM City Centre of Forecasting Manpower Needs and Labour Market Information (FALMI) has forecast a requirement for 20,000 new employees next month.

About 35 per cent of the total labour demand will be for unskilled workers, while an equal number of graduates will also be needed.

The rest of the demand for workers in the city's enterprises and businesses is for technicians and students graduating in vocational training.

New job opportunities are opening up mainly in sectors such as information technology, textiles and footwear, real estate and sales marketing and public relations, besides mechanics.

Meanwhile, FALMI Vice-Director Tran Anh Tuan said the demand for jobs will rise by 15 per cent in May, compared to the previous month.

"A large number of the students expecting to graduate next month will join the labour market, which will increase the demand for jobs," Tuan said.

Tree falls amidst inclement weather, injures 1

An African mahogany tree on the Ta Quang Buu Street fell and slightly injured a female university student during heavy rain around 10pm yesterday.

The student was driving through the street when the tree, which is 80 centimetres in diameter, was uprooted due to the inclement weather and fell down, injuring the student.

The Ha Noi Urban Tree Company's employees worked overnight to remove the tree from the road to prevent any traffic blockage.

This was the first instance of a tree having fallen and injured a Ha Noi resident this year, the company said.

The tree's roots had died months ago and their weakness was identified as the cause for its collapse.

Motorist killed in hit and run accident

The Bac Tu Liem police in Ha Noi are investigating a hit and run case, where one person was killed at around 9.30pm last night at the Co Nhue—Pham Van Dong intersection.

According to police's report, Kieu Van Dung from Thach That District Hanoi was driving towards the My Dinh Bus Station when a bus hit him from behind and later ran him over. He died instantly, while the bus was reportedly driven away from the scene.

"Eye witness accounts said it was a white bus with a Samsung logo printed on the sides," said a police officer.

The police are searching for the driver of the bus in question and have advised him or her to report to the nearest police station at the earliest.

Greater push for local medicines

Thirty pharmaceutical businesses and 62 medicine products were awarded the prize "Vietnamese Medicine Star" by the Ministry of Health yesterday.

The prize is part of projects titled By Viet Nam First and Vietnamese Medicine Path run by the ministry to support the domestic pharmaceutical sector.

The project is said to improve the reputation of the domestic pharmaceutical sector to the public and to strengthen the responsibilities of doctors in prescribing, safe medicines at lower prices.

According to the ministry's report, after two years of implementation, the cost of medicines in hospitals and health departments has fallen by 35.5 per cent over previous years.

The numbers of made-in-Viet Nam medicines winning bids in hospitals have doubled, said the ministry.

Domestic pharmaceutical products account for more than 57 per cent of medicines used in hospitals in HCM City.

Speaking at the award ceremony, Nguyen Thien Nhan, a politburo member and Chairman of Central Committee of the Fatherland Front, said he appreciated the ministry's project. 

Memorial service held to honour war heroes

A memorial service was held at the war heroes' cemetery in Dau Tieng District of the southern Binh Duong Province today to honour more than a 100 soldiers.

The soldiers belonging to the Battalion 3 and Division 9 were honoured for sacrificing their lives during a fierce battle, which took place five decades ago in the district.

Following the service, the soldiers' remains were buried at the cemetery.

Representatives from the province's People's Committee, Fatherland Front and People's Council took part in the service, along with the Chairman of the HCM City People's Committee, Le Thanh Hai.

The Chairman of the Binh Duong Province People's Committee, Tran Van Nam, highlighted the soldiers' contribution to the country's struggle for independence and unification.

Rock crushes 2 to death in Ha Giang

The bodies of the two victims crushed by a falling rock in the northern province of Ha Giang's Bac Quang District were returned to their families today.

This was revealed by the district People's Committee Vice Chairman, Duong Tien Son.

The accident took place yesterday at noon after a giant rock slipped down a rock mine owned by the local Tuan Linh Cooperative, killing two workers at the scene.

Dinh Xuan Nghia, 33, from Phu Tho Province, and Tran Van Bac, 38, from Tuyen Quang Province, were the only workers to have stayed back at the mine after the other workers left for their lunch break.

The families of the victims will receive a compensation worth VND5 million (US$230) each, Son said.

The district police are investigating the cause of the incident.

Fallen tree kills 3, wounds 1

A fallen tree killed three people and injured one at a farm in the Dak Ha commune in the central highlands Province, the local administration said.

An official at the Dak Nia communal people's committee said, K'Nam, 43, and his wife, Ry Rai, 42, and one-year-old son, K' Cao had died immediately at their family farm situated in the Dak Ha commune of Gia Nghia town in Dak G'long on Sunday.

He said the family of five, who was working on a farm, located 20 kilometres away from their home, were seeking shelter inside a hut during heavy rain, when the big tree had fallen on the hut.

The father, mother and son had died instantly, while their daughter H'Hon, 14, was injured. Another son K'Bon, 3, had managed to stay safe.

The local administration has extended support to the children.

Deputy PM orders investigation into Dak Lak crash

Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has directed the local police to investigate the truck crash that killed six people in the Central Highland province of Dak Lak this morning.

He also asked the People's Committees of the four provinces of Dak Lak, Dak Nong, Gia Lai and Kon Tum to step up patrol on the Ho Chi Minh National Road and the local road network across the region and to take strict action against any violations being reported.

Apart from those measures, the municipal Departments of Transport in the four provinces were asked to conduct inspections for transport safety at all national and provincial roads running across the region.

The accident occurred at about 4.15am in the Ea Drang Commune of the province's Ea H'Leo District on the National Road 14, which connects the two Central Highland provinces of Gia Lai and Dak Lak.

The Head of Dak Lak Province's Traffic Safety Committee, Bui Van Ngoc, said a truck with a Dak Lak registration plate, which was carrying bricks and was being driven towards Gia Lai, had collided head-on with a truck coming from Binh Duong.

The National Road is currently being upgraded, so the drivers might have been over speeding as it was early morning, he said.

Six people in the two trucks were killed on the spot, and one person was rushed to the hospital with serious injuries.

Five out of the six killed in the accident and the one injured have been identified, said the Ea H'Leo District Transport Safety Board Deputy Head, Nguyen Xuan Huong.

Quang Ngai disciplines 20 communal and district officials

Twenty officials, including nine communal People's Committee Chairmen, have been disciplined for violations in the implementation of public interest projects in the Tay Tra District of central Quang Ngai Province.

This was revealed by the District's Deputy Chairman, Do Minh Lam, yesterday.

The province's inspection team found many that projects had not been built, following designs and violations in the compilation of balance-sheets, which had resulted in State Budget losses amounting to nearly VND2.8 billion (US$130,000).

Violations were also found in the operations of communal People's Committees at Tra Khe and Tra Tho, the project management unit and the agriculture and rural development division of Tay Tra.

Security guard jailed for bank robbery

A security guard was sentenced to 11 years in prison yesterday for stealing VND700 million (US$32,000) from an HD Bank branch.

Nguyen Tuan Duong, 29, was also asked to pay back VND180 million ($8,000), which was the remaining part of the stolen money apart from the amount previously returned to HD Bank by his mother.

Duong, a former security guard at the Ha Noi-based HCM City Securities Corporation that is located near an HD Bank branch in Hoan Kiem District, committed the crime on September 9 last year.

When a bank employee went out for lunch, Duong used a pincer to unlock a cash safe at the bank and fled to the central province of Thanh Hoa with the money.

Two days later, he transferred VND520 million ($24,000) to his mother Duong Thi Hoa, to return the amount to the bank after discovering that the police was hunting for him.

Duong gave himself up to the police on October 6, 2014.

Saboteurs destroy thousands of rubber plants

Thousands of young rubber plants have been destroyed due to sabotage, causing extensive losses to farmers in NhU Thanh District in the northern-central Thanh Hoa Province.

Le Ba Tâm, a farmer, said more than 1,000 three-year-old rubber plants had been cut down by saboteurs since last Saturday, causing losses of more than VND100 million (nearly US$5,000).

"This means all of my family's savings have disappeared," Tam said.

The farmer found that saboteurs had used knifes to destroy the plants.

He was very worried about the situation and had asked for urgent help from the local authorities.

Chief of the district People's Committee's office Le Viet Ha said the district has been co-operating with the local police to investigate the situation.

He said initial compensation of about VND113,000 per three-year-old rubber plant would be provided to the farmers.

Motorbike thieves receive prison sentences

Two motorbike thieves were sentenced to a total 26 years for stealing 18 bikes in Ha Noi over six months, the city People's Court said yesterday.

Luong Ngoc Thanh, 31, from Phu Tho Province, was the lookout, while Pham Duc Cuong, 30, from Quang Ninh Province, used a lock-picking tool to steal motorbikes from August 2013 to March 2014.

Most of the stolen motorbikes were upmarket vehicles such as Spacy, SH and Airblade, worth more than VND560 million (US$26,000).

Cuong and Thanh were given 14 and 12 years in jail, respectively.

Two other accomplices -- Nguyen Van Quy, 29, from Phu Tho, and Vuong Dinh Loi, 31, from Ha Noi – were sentenced to six-and-a-half years in prison and 20 months for storing and selling stolen goods respectively.

Two men suffocate in well in Dak Nong

Two men died of suffocation in a well yesterday in Dak Mil District in the Central Highland province of Dak Nong.

Hac Long, 35, and his wife were commissioned to clean a well for a local family. After seeing her husband suffocate and fall into the well, his wife cried out for help.

Nguyen Sinh Nhat, a local man who was nearby, entered the well to help Long, but he too lost consciousness.

Local residents used fans to send air into the well to save the two men. However, they were already dead by the time they were brought up.

Initial investigation identified high methane levels and lack of oxygen as having caused the two men to suffocate and die in the well.

Border patrol detains boat for illegally carrying gasoline

The Quang Ngai Province's border patrol force yesterday seized a boat carrying more than 7,000 litres of gasoline, without any documents showing the place of origin, near Binh Son District.

The central province's border patrol force also arrested two local men -- the boat's captain and owner -- and confiscated a truck believed to be involved in the gasoline cargo case.

Earlier in March, a boat was seized and fined VND95 million (US$4,500) for illegally transporting gasoline.

80 outstanding students presented with Japan’s scholarships

Eighty Vietnamese outstanding students in the 2014-2015 academic year were each granted scholarships worth 300 USD from the Japanese FUYO Foundation at the 17 th FUYO scholarship awarding ceremony held in Hanoi on April 21.

The FUYO Foundation is an annual scholarship fund for Vietnamese students with outstanding academic performance.

Since its establishment in 1997, the foundation has awarded a total of 292,000 USD in scholarships to 1,190 students nationwide.

In the past few years, the Japanese government has made significant contributions to education in Vietnam through creating opportunities for Vietnamese students to pursue master degrees, PhDs and apprentices in the social sciences, natural science, engineering and economics.

The Ministry of Health (MOH) will hold several activities to response to the World Immunisation Week 2015 launched by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in the Western Pacific Region from April 24-30.

The event aims to promote the use of vaccines to protect peopleagainst diseases, intensify monitoring vaccine-preventable diseases and eliminate poliomyelitis, introduce new and updated vaccines and develop future vaccine generations.

This year’s campaign focuses on closing the immunisation gap and reaching equity in immunisation levels as outlined in the Global Vaccine Action Plan (GVAP). The Plan – endorsed by the 194 Member States of the World Health Assembly in May 2012 ― is a framework towards preventing millions of deaths by 2020 through universal access to vaccines.

According to the Department of Preventive Medicine under the MOH, infectious diseases have developed and become increasingly complex in recent years, leaving infants and children more vulnerable than ever and necessitating comprehensive and timely immunisations.

The department asserted that immunisation is widely recognised as one of the most successful and cost-effective health interventions. It prevents between 2 and 3 million deaths every year and protects children against diphtheria, tetanus, polio and measles as well as two of the leading causes of death of children under five, pneumonia and rotavirus diarrhoea.

Adolescents and adults can also be protected against life-threatening diseases such as influenza, meningitis, and cancers (cervical and liver), thanks to new vaccines.

World Immunization Week 2015 will signal a renewed global, regional, and national effort to increase awareness and demand for immunisations and improve vaccination delivery services.

HCM City: “Heroic Mother” title bestowed to 321 women

Ceremonies to award the title of “Heroic Vietnamese Mother” to 321 women whose husbands and sons laid down their lives for the country’s independence in Ho Chi Minh City were held on April 21.

Among them, only 24 were still alive and able to receive their title.

Addressing the ceremony, Politburo member and the Secretary of HCM City Party Committee Le Thanh Hai expressed his deep gratitude to the mothers for their great devotion and sacrifice for national liberation.

To date, the city has granted the title to 4,242 women.

Across the country, more than 59,000 women have been recognised as Heroic Mothers.

Thai Nguyen ceremony marks 65th anniversary of VJA

The Vietnamese Journalists’ Association (VJA) hosted a ceremony in Dinh Hoa district in the northern mountainous province of Thai Nguyen on April 21 to celebrate its 65 th anniversary (April 21, 1950-2015).

In his speech at the event—which brought together a crowd of representatives from press agencies and members of VJA’s chapters nationwide—VAJ Vice Chairman Pham Quoc Toan reminded participants of the association’s formation 65 years ago.

On April 21, 1950, a congress was held in Diem Mac commune, Dinh Hoa district to establish the Association of Vietnam Press Writers; the name was then changed to the Vietnam Journalists’ Association (VJA) during its second congress in 1959.

On July 7, 1976, more than a year since the nation was reunified, the southern Association of Patriotic and Democratic Journalists merged with the VJA.

During the nation’s resistance wars, the association connected reporters and editors working at press agencies and VJA’s chapters throughout the country, significantly contributing to national liberation and development.

The VJA now has 22,000 members nationwide, increasing substantially from the initial 300 members. More than 400 journalists laid down their lives working on battlefields during the fight for national independence and reunification.

The association’s 10th Congress is scheduled to convene in August to map out orientations for 2015-2020.

On the occasion, enterprises and press agencies presented gifts to a number of ethnic minority households in the locality.

Participants also offered incense in the Ho Chi Minh memorial house in Phu Dinh commune, Dinh Hoa district.

Quang Tri, Binh Duong bury over 150 sets of soldiers’ remains

The People’s Committee of Huong Hoa district of central Quang Tri province held a burial service for the remains of 52 war martyrs on April 21, all of whom lost their lives on the Road 9-Khe Sanh battlefield.

The remains were gathered by the district’s search team across the locality in accordance with the information provided by local residents. The remains were buried at Huong Hoa’s martyr cemetery.

On the occasion, representatives from the Military Zone 4 presented certificates of merit to organisations and individuals who made active contributions to the search effort for and collection of martyr remains.

The same day, a similar event was also organised in Dau Tieng district’s martyr cemetery in the southern province of Binh Duong to inter the remains of over 100 fallen soldiers.

The revolutionary martyrs laid to rest, who serviced in the Regiment 3 and units of the Division 9 under the Southern High Command, were killed in village 10 of Dau Tieng district on November 22, 1965.

Gender, essential component of social welfare policies

Gender roles and differences must be taken into account in designing policies and programmes on social welfare, said Shoko Ishikawa, UN Women Country Representative in Vietnam in Hanoi on April 21.

She made the remark at a workshop promoting social protection for women and girls in Vietnam held by the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and Achievement of Women (UN Women) in association with the Institute of Labour Sciences and Social Affairs (ILSSA) under the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MOLISA).

According to the UN Women official, Vietnam has made significant progress in reducing gender inequality, yet gender bias and challenges to achieving gender equality still remain, limiting women’s access to the labour market.

ILSSA Director Nguyen Thi Lan Huong affirmed that effective social protection policies are essential in ensuring social stability, fostering economic growth and building a better society.

Employment and social protection policies have been developed in Vietnam for decades, benefiting an increasing number of people including women and girls, as manifested in the issuance of two State Resolutions on social protection in 2012, Huong added.

During the workshop, local and foreign experts in the field exchanged information and experience in implementing programmes on social protection for women and girls.

Delegate proposals together with findings of the national report on “Social protection for women and girls in Vietnam” conducted by the ILSSA and UN Women in 2014 will offer guidance for the government in improving its policies on social protection concerning gender issues.

Long An, Svay Rieng cooperate in child migrant protection

The Mekong Delta province of Long An and the Cambodian Svay Rieng province will work together to implement their cooperation agreements on protecting cross-border immigrant children.

During their third meeting held in Long An on April 21, the two sides agreed to cooperate on issues related child protection in border areas and those emigrating between Cambodia and Vietnam through their two bilateral-working teams.

The two localities will focus on designing and issuing regulations on the performance of working teams while building plans and activities concerning cross-border migration child protection.

They will also coordinate to manage children and conduct surveys and investigations into Cambodian children migrating to Long An province to be used in designing specific measures for caring for and protecting the children.

After the meeting between the two localities in Svay Rieng in 2014, Long An helped Cambodian children living in the locality return their home. Communication efforts were promoted to popularise relevant Vietnamese laws and raise public awareness of the danger and consequences of children trafficking.

Cambodian child immigration into Long An has seen a remarkable decrease. As many as 206 Cambodian people—including 134 children—were brought back to their country in 2014.

Smuggling and trade fraud has become increasingly complicated across the northern border, officials proclaimed during a working session on April 21.

During the session, the National Steering Committee on Prevention and Control of Smuggling, Trade Fraud and Fake Commodities office (Committee 389) presented its report, saying a total of 6,491 violations were detected with fines amounting to more than 230 billion VND (10.7 million USD).

The legal system has begun proceedings against 936 individuals involved in 675 cases, it said.

Participating officials observed smuggling operations have constantly evolved to avoid easily disrupted patterns and to make catching them in the act more difficult. They have shifted away from long known hot spots and shipped goods by water and air rather than solely by road. They work as well-organised rings and have become more aggressive.

Participants went on to discuss efficient measures to countering smuggling and strengthening agency coordination.

Currently there are six separate government forces responsible for preventing smuggling and trade fraud: customs, border police, police, tax authorities, maritime police and market management forces.

In 2014, only 11 cases of counterfeit goods nationwide were prosecuted with the rest resulting in fines. Beer, wine, cosmetics, pesticides and fertilisers made up the majority of seized fake goods.

The important of social protection to achieving full rights of women and girls is the main theme of an April 21 workshop held in Hanoi by Institute of Labour Sciences and Social Affairs (ILSSA), Minstry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MOLISA) and the UN Women.

The event bought together over 60 participants, including policy makers, representatives from MOLISA, UN experts, bilateral and multilateral donors, as well as NGOs and media.

Assoc. Dr. Nguyen Thi Lan Huong, Director General of ILSA stressed that social protection is an important instrument in creating more inclusive and sustainable development pathways. Assurance of employment and social protection system which have been established and developed in Vietnam has improved the lives of Vietnamese people, including women and girls.

Shoko Ishikawa, UN Women Country Representative in turn said notwithstanding significant progress in eliminating gender equality, gender bias and therefore serious gender gaps persist and this is manifested in women’s limited access to the labour market, where for the most part women are confined to more poorly remunerated, particularly in the informal economy, without access to social protection.

“Therefore we must acknowledge that social protection programs cannot be gender-blind. Gender differences in roles, responsibilities, need and interests must be taken into account in designing and implementing social protection schemes,” she added.

During the workshop, participants shared experience and information on the implementation of policies on social protection, especially policies and programs on social protection for women and girls.

Their comments and recommendations together with findings of the “National report on Social Protection for Women and Girls in Vietnam” which was conducted by ILSSA and UN Women in 2014 will provide evidence and practical experiences for Vietnam Government to improve responsive policies and programs on social protection.

The important of social protection to achieving full rights of women and girls is the main theme of an April 21 workshop held in Hanoi by Institute of Labour Sciences and Social Affairs (ILSSA), Minstry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MOLISA) and the UN Women.

The event bought together over 60 participants, including policy makers, representatives from MOLISA, UN experts, bilateral and multilateral donors, as well as NGOs and media.

Assoc. Dr. Nguyen Thi Lan Huong, Director General of ILSA stressed that social protection is an important instrument in creating more inclusive and sustainable development pathways. Assurance of employment and social protection system which have been established and developed in Vietnam has improved the lives of Vietnamese people, including women and girls.

Shoko Ishikawa, UN Women Country Representative in turn said notwithstanding significant progress in eliminating gender equality, gender bias and therefore serious gender gaps persist and this is manifested in women’s limited access to the labour market, where for the most part women are confined to more poorly remunerated, particularly in the informal economy, without access to social protection.

“Therefore we must acknowledge that social protection programs cannot be gender-blind. Gender differences in roles, responsibilities, need and interests must be taken into account in designing and implementing social protection schemes,” she added.

During the workshop, participants shared experience and information on the implementation of policies on social protection, especially policies and programs on social protection for women and girls.

Their comments and recommendations together with findings of the “National report on Social Protection for Women and Girls in Vietnam” which was conducted by ILSSA and UN Women in 2014 will provide evidence and practical experiences for Vietnam Government to improve responsive policies and programs on social protection.

Vietnamese, Malaysian detained for trafficking women into prostitution

Vietnamese police are dealing with a case in which a Malaysian man and a Vietnamese woman were found luring Vietnamese women into forced prostitution in Malaysia, local media reported.

The Southern Criminal Police Department, under the Ministry of Public Security, on April 20 said that they have detained Ngu Weng Hie, 54, a Malaysian, and Nguyen Thi Le Hoa, 42, from the southern Vietnamese province of An Giang, for trafficking women into prostitution.

Hie was arrested in mid-April when he returned from Malaysia to Vietnam via Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City. Hoa was apprehended around that time in An Giang.

Ngu Weng Hie is seen at the office of the Southern Criminal Police Department under the Ministry of Public Security.

The foreign man is likely the instigator of the scam, police said, adding that they have managed to rescue nine women who were the victims of the ring with support from the Vietnamese Embassy in Malaysia.

Vietnamese police officers launched an investigation at the end of 2014, when a number of women in An Giang reported that they had managed to escape back to Vietnam after falling prey to Hoa and Hie.

These women accused that they had been duped by Hoa into going to Malaysia for work, but when they arrived there they were sent to cafés, bars or other places to work as sex workers.

According to investigators, Hoa left Vietnam for Malaysia in 2012 and worked in a restaurant owned by Hie.

One year later, the woman and her boss discussed a scam in which Hoa would entice Vietnamese women to go to Malaysia for work but actually force them into prostitution.

Hie would pay Hoa VND6 million (US$278) for each woman successfully sent to Malaysia.

He would also pay all costs related to the travel of the women from Vietnam to Malaysia.

Nguyen Thi Le Hoa is seen at the office of the Southern Criminal Police Department under the Ministry of Public Security. Photo:Southern Criminal Police Department

Hoa later returned to Vietnam and managed to contact beautiful women under 30 years old who wanted to go abroad for work.

She then prodded them into going to Malaysia by lying to them that she could find them well-paid jobs in cafeterias or restaurants.

Investigations showed that in mid-August 2013, Hoa promised two women, named H. and P., both from southern Kien Giang Province, that she could arrange for them to work at a Chinese-owned café in Malaysia at a monthly salary of over VND6 million.

Hoa told her potential victims they she would carry out all procedures related to their trip to Malaysia and cover all relevant costs in advance.

H. and P. agreed to Hoa’s plan and then introduced four other women to her. She also assured them that they would have good jobs in Malaysia.

After their arrival in Malaysia, H., P., and the four women were sent to a karaoke bar, where all of them were forced to have sex with guests and anyone who refused to do so would be beaten and left in hunger.

For every sex session, these women were paid nearly VND3 million (US$139) by their clients but the entire money had to be submitted to the bar owner, who at the end of every month gave each sex worker a sum equal to 50% of the total amount she had been paid by her guests, according to Phap Luat TPHCM (Ho Chi Minh City Law) newspaper.         

When any sex workers wanted to return to Vietnam, their families were asked to pay a ransom in return for their release.

From August 2013 to their arrest, Hoa and Hie sent dozens of Vietnamese women to Malaysia for prostitution.

VNA/VNS/VOV/SGT/SGGP/Dantri