VIETNAM

(Prostitution Map - country fact sheets)

Statistics :

- The official statistics of the Ministry of Labor, War and Social Affairs estimate that there are 33,000 prostituted persons in Vietnam.

- Sociologists believe there are 200,000 prostituted persons.

- In Ho Chi Minh City, there are 58 public places and about 33,000 stores suspected of being prostitution venues.

- Significant phenomenon of domestic trafficking.

- “Bride trafficking” to China is expanding.

Legislation :

- Prostitution is illegal, but there exists a legal void around male prostitution. Female prostitues are subject to fines that amount to 100,000 VDN to 300,000 VDN (4.12 € to 12.36 €/4.50 US$ to 13.50 US$) and a 24-hour incarceration for sex purchasers who face fines of 500,000 VDN to 5 millions VDN (20.6 € to 2016 €/22.50 US$ to 225 US$).

- Since the 2012 law, articles 119 and 120 of the Penal Code defines trafficking of human beings, ans states that trafficking for purposes of sexual exploitation is punishable by 3 to 20 years in prison.

Human Trafficking :

- In 2014, there were over 472 suspects of human trafficking (for forced labor and sexual exploitation), 413 were sentenced to 3 to 15 years in prison (U.S. Department of State, 2015).

- Country of destination for pedophile sex tourism. These tourists come from other Asian countries, the United Kingdom, Australia, Europe and the United States (U.S. Department of State, 2015).

- Country of origin for victims of trafficking for sexual exploitation.

- Countries of destination for Vietnamese victims of sexual exploitation: China, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Malaysia, the Russian Federation.

 

Sources (en) :

- « 136 Vietnamese women rescued from forced prostitution in Kuala Lumpur », Than Nien News, January 4^th, 2015.

- « Debate grows over legislation of prostitution », South China Morning Post/AFP Hanoi, September 22^nd, 2014.

- « From every angle: Using the law to combat human trafficking in Southeast Asia », Liberty Asia, Thomson Reuters Foundation, November 2014.

- « La prostitution, métier légal ou fléau social ?  », L'Essentiel/AFP, September 22^nd, 2014.

- « Three HCMC restaurants found offering sex to foreigners for $100 », Tuoi Tre News, October 16^th, 2014.

- « Vietnam: Débat passionné sur la prostitution », L’Express/AFP, September 22^nd, 2014.

- « Woman gets 10 years for selling Vietnamese women to Russia for prostitution », Tuoi Tre News, December 18^th, 2014.

- Burrows N., « New report on Sex Work in Ho Chi Minh City reveals changes in Sex Industry over previous decade », Global Network of Sex Work Projects (NSWP), September 18^th, 2014.

- Committee on the Rights of the Child, United Nations, Consideration of reports submitted by States parties under article 44 of the Convention, Concluding observations: Viet Nam, CRC/C/VNM/CO/3-4, August 22^nd, 2012.

- CRIDES/Fondation Scelles, Revue de l’actualité internationale de la prostitution, 2013.

- CRIDES/Fondation Scelles, Revue de l’actualité internationale de la prostitution, 2014.

- Fondation Scelles, Charpenel Y. (under the direction of), Sexual Exploitation - Prostitution and Organized Crime, Economica Ed., 2012.

- Fondation Scelles, Charpenel Y. (under the direction of), Sexual Exploitation – A growing menace, Economica Ed., 2013.

- Hang T., « Nearly 50pct of Vietnam’s sex workers are victims of violence: Report », Thanh Nien News, March 26^th, 2015.

- Hang T., « Vietnam's sex industry evolves beyond laws », Thanh Nien News, December 21^st, 2014.

- Hung M., « Vietnam launches new pilot to help sex workers », Thanh Nien News, January 11^th, 2015.

- Huy D., « 5 arrested in HCMC prostitution bust », Thanh Nien News, April 15^th, 2015.

- Phu D., « Sex industry thrives in HCMC despite a decade of control », Thanh Nien News, September 17^th, 2014.

- Son T., « Police arrests celebrity pimp in northern Vietnam », Thanh Nien News, November 3^rd, 2014.

- U.S. Department of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, June 2014.

- U.S. Department of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 2015.

- Whiting A., « Former sex slave's nightmare continues long after freedom », Reuters, November 19^th, 2014.

- Zimmerman C., Kiss L., Pocock N., et al., Health and Human trafficking in the Greater Mekong Subregion: Findings from a survey of men, women and children in Thailand, Cambodia and Viet Nam (STEAM), International Organization for Migration (IOM), 2014.