Vietnam:

Human Trafficking and Migration in Vietnam: Migration in the Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS), including Vietnam, is increasing due to various factors such as uneven economic development, more open borders, demographic imbalances etc. Shared history, social relationships and ethnicity are also relevant migration factors particularly in border areas. Also, there has been a ‘feminization’ of migration particularly for domestic, agricultural and factory work, but also for marriages. Important aspects of the internal migration situation in Vietnam are:

(1) the strong rural-to-urban migration, which will see 45% of the country’s population live in cities by 2020;
(2) the major flow towards the South; and
(3) the existence of the Ho Khau residence registration system, which is slowing down the migration to cities but has had a negative impact on migrants’ lives. Doi Moi has played a key role in shaping Vietnam since its introduction in the 1980s.

Vietnam is also a major source country of formally recruited laborers and by 2010 the Government expects to send approximately one million Vietnamese workers abroad. As of November 2007, there were an estimated 477,000 Vietnamese migrant workers working globally and the main destination countries are: Taiwan, Malaysia, South Korea and Japan. Despite a growing body of laws and regulations concerning the recruitment and sending of workers abroad, many still end up in exploitative situations. Research and experience to date in South-East Asia suggest that human trafficking can best be understood as “a fall-out from irregular migration”, although elements of trans-national organized crime are also present.

Who is being trafficked in Vietnam, where and what are some of the vulnerability factors?
Human trafficking affects women, men and children in Vietnam. Trafficked persons experience various difficulties ranging from physical and mental health issues, to economic and social reintegration issues. There are various vulnerability factors to human trafficking and usually no single factor brings about the vulnerability of a person. Research points to particular vulnerabilities that lead to trafficking of young women and girls. There is an increasing demand for virgins and children in prostitution, due to such factors as the threat of HIV/AIDS. Vietnam is also increasingly a destination for child sex tourism with perpetrators coming from various countries. Women and girls are considered more vulnerable to trafficking than men due to unequal gender relations and social and economic power, but it is important to recognize the agency both women and men exert in the migration process and the special needs of children in making that decision. The situation of trafficking in women and children in Vietnam continues to be complex. The nature and scale of trafficking in woman and children is more sophisticated, serious, well-organized and transnational. Recently, there also exists the crime of trafficking in men, newborn babies, fetuses, viscera and counterfeit adoption documents for the trade of children Vietnam is primarily a source country for men, women, and children trafficked for the purposes of sexual exploitation and forced labor, but also marriages. The main destination countries are China and Cambodia, though Vietnam is also a destination country for trafficked persons from Cambodia and serves as a transit country for Chinese children to Cambodia. Internal trafficking has also become apparent, mainly from rural areas to urban areas involving women and children.

SIREN human trafficking data sheet
STRATEGIC INFORMATION RESPONSE NETWORK
United Nations Inter-Agency Project on Human Trafficking (UNIAP): Phase III