11 people jailed for trafficking hundreds of jobseekers to Cambodia

Vuong Van Thanh, 36, was sentenced to 12 and a half years in prison for human trafficking by Dong Nai People's Court. Ten other people were sentenced from three and half years to up to eight years in jail as Thanh's accomplices or for organizing illegal emigration.

From February to June 2022, Thanh and three accomplices used online accounts to recruit workers, promising them high incomes, in order to lure them to Cambodia for work. For each person sent to Cambodia, Thanh would get $600 as payment.

The group then sent the workers to several companies based in Cambodia and managed by Chinese people so they could be exploited. The workers had to work overtime, make scam calls and persuade others to gamble, among other tasks, under close supervision.

If a worker wanted to come back to Vietnam, their family would have to pay a ransom to the group in Cambodia, which ranged from VND61-130 million (US$2,500-5,300) per person. The human trafficking ring was busted thanks to a call for help by a victim in July last year.

At the trial, members of the group admitted to their crimes.

Vietnam, with its long border and high number of gates and paths, makes human trafficking prevention complex, involving the cooperation of forces inside and outside the country, according to the authorities.

Over the past four years, authorities have rescued over 350 victims of human trafficking and received 545 victims who managed to return, according to the Judiciary Committee of the National Assembly.