Hoang Duy Hung, 34, was identified as the pimp. He and 14 others were detained Thursday and are being investigated for brokering sex services.
In November 2022, he set up several websites advertising prostitution and posting photos of girls with attractive appearances along with contact phone numbers.
Police alleged that he also created forums for clients to discuss and review the prostitutes, thereby attracting attention and enticing potential customers.
The women were recruited by Hung through social networks like Telegram, Facebook, and Zalo.
To run the prostitution brokerage websites, Hung rented a five-story house in Binh Xuyen District of Vinh Phuc Province that borders Hanoi, where he organized various management teams, including a team in charge of answering calls from clients via a hotline.
The investigation into the ring was launched in September 2023, when Hanoi’s Cau Giay District police arrested Le Thi Ngoc Anh, 22, for running a brothel.
Following this lead, two months later, police busted a prostitution brokerage group at a hotel on Nguyen Huu Tuoc Street of Hanoi’s Dong Da District.
Early this year, police of Cau Giay and Nam Tu Liem districts arrested two more suspects for brothel operations after inspecting a hotel on Mieu Dam Street and a homestay on Le Duc Tho Street.
Expanding the investigation, they tracked down Hung and uncovered his network.
Sex work is deemed a social evil in Vietnam, and procuring sex is a criminal offense.