Women, female children, and poor, uninformed people are at high risks for human trafficking. Human traffickers prey on young girls in remote areas who are hoping for a better life and a better job and then kidnap them. After being transported to another country, the young women are forced to become prostitutes or get married. They are then exploited and abused in various ways. Traffickers can be relatives, neighbors in the community, or part of an extensive criminal network.

Colonel Le Cong Binh is Deputy Director of the Dien Bien Provincial Police: “It’s important to strengthen communications to raise people’s awareness. It’s a key element in preventing human trafficking. We will continue to improve our ability to promptly identify traffickers and fight human trafficking.”

Major Colonel Nguyen The Bang is Deputy Head of the Border Guard Station at the Lao Cai International Border Gate: “We have strengthened international cooperation in fighting human trafficking at the border gate. We have exchanged information and jointly addressed problems at the border. In emergency cases, we coordinate via the hotline. We have disseminated information to people in border areas to encourage them to obey the law and not to abet human traffickers.”

Vietnam has developed a strong legal framework, approved a revised Criminal Code and implemented three National Action Plans on Combating Human Trafficking. Vietnam has signed and implemented a number of bilateral agreements on combating human trafficking with other countries participated in the Mekong Sub regional Inter-ministry Coordination Initiative, and ratified the UN Protocol to Prevent, Suppress, and Punish Trafficking in Persons, especially women and children. Vietnam also signed the ASEAN Convention on Combating Human Trafficking.