HCMC police bust prostitution ring employing beauty queens, models

Ho Thi Hanh, 22, and Dau Thi Lien, allegedly took 30% of the money paid by the clients to the sex workers they managed, police said.

Ho Thi Hanh (L) and Dau Thi Lien at a police station in HCMC, Dec. 31, 2023. Photo by VnExpress/Nhat Vy

Police found the ring advertising its services online and raided a hotel on To Hien Thanh Street in District 10 in late December and caught two women from the ring serving customers for VND50 million each.

One woman, 27, won a Vietnamese beauty contest while the other, 23, was a photo model.

At another hotel on Tran Hung Dao Street, District 5, the police caught two more women from the ring serving customers for VND14 million each.

They said they were brokered by Hanh and Lien.

Investigation found Hanh built herself the image of a successful woman on social media, posting photos of her traveling to famous places and shopping expensive items. She then lured women into the ring to make quick money like her.

Hanh and Lien were found to manage more than 30 young women, including beauty queens and actresses.

The two also provided sex services themselves.

HCMC police are enhancing raids against criminal activities ahead of the Lunar New Year. They have busted a series of prostitution rings on recent days, including one run by an airline captain and another by a Chinese reétaurant owner targeting foreign customers.