On March 9, the People’s Court of Ninh Binh province held the first-instance trial of ten defendants involved in a transnational commercial surrogacy network.

The panel of judges sentenced Quach Thi Thuong (born 1985, from Thai Nguyen province) to 36 months in prison; Pham Thi Hoai Thu (born 1987) to 27 months; Phung Thi Nuong (born 1996) to 21 months; Nguyen Do Phuong Hoai (born 1997) to 15 months; Nguyen Ngoc Thuy (born 1989) to 12 months; Nguyen Thi Hang (born 1996) to nine months in prison with a suspended sentence; Doan Ha Trang (born 1995, from Hai Phong) to 27 months; Lo Thi Thanh (born 1996, from Son La province) to 24 months; Nguyen Thi Thu Trang (born 1992, from Ninh Binh province) to 21 months; and Vo Thi Lan (born 1989, from Ha Tinh province) to nine months in prison with a suspended sentence.

All ten defendants were prosecuted by the People’s Procuracy of Ninh Binh province for the crime of organizing surrogacy for commercial purposes.

According to the indictment, the transnational commercial surrogacy network was established by a Chinese national named Wang. In Vietnam, Quach Thi Thuong was identified as the leader responsible for operating the ring domestically.

After being contacted by Wang, Thuong used social media platforms to search for women under the age of 35 who were facing financial difficulties and willing to participate in surrogacy arrangements.

When clients sought surrogate mothers, the group arranged for these women to travel to China for embryo implantation. They were then taken to Cambodia to continue their pregnancies before returning to Vietnam to give birth.

After the babies were born, the commissioning parents would travel to Vietnam to conduct DNA tests confirming the biological relationship and complete the procedures to receive the child. Each woman participating in the surrogacy arrangement was promised VND300 million (approximately US$12,200) for each case.

Some women who had previously served as surrogates later remained in the network to act as brokers or caretakers for the newborns.

Wang also hired Pham Thi Hoai Thu - herself a former surrogate mother - to accompany pregnant women to medical check-ups and assist with hospital admission and discharge procedures when they gave birth at hospitals in Vietnam.

After birth, the infants were cared for by nannies assigned by Thuong at two apartments in Hung Yen province while waiting for their biological parents to arrive and complete the procedures to receive them.

Earlier, in July 2025, police in Ninh Binh province, in coordination with specialized units of the Criminal Police Department under the Ministry of Public Security, dismantled the commercial surrogacy network.

Authorities successfully rescued 11 newborn babies and seized seven passports along with numerous birth certificates, medical birth records and related documents.

Tran Nghi