Crime In Vietnam
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Crime is present in various forms in
Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...
. According to the United States 2016
OSAC The Bureau of Diplomatic Security, commonly known as Diplomatic Security (DS), is the security branch of the United States Department of State. It conducts international investigations, threat analysis, cyber security, counterterrorism, and pr ...
Crime report,
Hanoi Hanoi ( ; ; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Vietnam, second-most populous city of Vietnam. The name "Hanoi" translates to "inside the river" (Hanoi is bordered by the Red River (Asia), Red and Black River (Asia), Black Riv ...
is rated as medium in Overall Crime and Safety Situation.


History of organised crime

Among the first organised crime group to emerge in Vietnam were the
Bình Xuyên Bình Xuyên Force (, ), often linked to its infamous leader, General Lê Văn Viễn (nicknamed "Bảy Viễn"), was an independent military force within the Vietnamese National Army whose leaders once had lived outside the law and had sided wi ...
, which during the 1920s acted mainly as river pirates led by Dương Văn Dương. Bình Xuyên later became a legitimate military organization that controlled nearly the entire supply of opium of Vietnam in 1954. With the arrival of Vietnamese independence in 1945 (in the
North North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating Direction (geometry), direction or geography. Etymology T ...
) and 1955 (in the
South South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both west and east. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþa ...
), organized crime activity, including protection rackets, were drastically reduced as both the Northern and Southern governments purged criminal activity in their parts of the country. In spite of this, organized crime continued to persist in both parts of Vietnam. In the South during the 1960s, the underworld of
Saigon Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) ('','' TP.HCM; ), commonly known as Saigon (; ), is the most populous city in Vietnam with a population of around 14 million in 2025. The city's geography is defined by rivers and canals, of which the largest is Saigo ...
was defined by the "Four Great Kings" period, where the city was ruled by the top four powerful mobsters who presided over much of the organized criminal activities and rackets within the city, such as the drug dens, prostitution houses, night clubs and casinos. These four gangsters were Đại Cathay, Huỳnh Tỳ, Ngô Văn Cái and Ba Thế, referred to with veneration by a Vietnamese saying "Nhất Đại – nhì Tỳ - tam Cái – tứ Thế". These venerations refer to each of the four mobsters respectively by their level of dominance, with Đại Cathay referred to as being the king among kings in the city. Following 1975 and the
reunification of Vietnam Reunification Day (), also known as Victory Day (), Liberation Day ( or ), or by its official name, Day of the Liberation of the South and National Reunification () is a public holiday in Vietnam that marks the day when the People's Army of Vi ...
, the era of the Four Great Kings came to an end. Later in the 90s, Năm Cam would come to form a dominant criminal group in Saigon, where he was known for running numerous gambling dens,
hotels A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a refr ...
, and
restaurants A restaurant is an establishment that prepares and serves food and drinks to customers. Meals are generally served and eaten on the premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services. Restaurants vary greatly in app ...
that fronted for
brothels A brothel, strumpet house, bordello, bawdy house, ranch, house of ill repute, house of ill fame, or whorehouse is a place where people engage in sexual activity with prostitutes. For legal or cultural reasons, establishments often describe t ...
. He is said to have gone on a 15-year killing spree in Saigon in order to eliminate his rivals. As such, he is often referred to as the godfather of Vietnam. Meanwhile, in the North, organized crime continued to exist. However, it was much more hidden from the general public and the government's eyes due to the North's more stringent control over organized criminal activity and stricter law enforcement. In spite of this, organized crime persisted. One notable example was an organization formed by Khánh Trắng, the former President of the Đồng Xuân Labor Union in Hanoi, which was the first non-state trade organization in the city. At its height, Khánh Trắng's organization had received praise from the northern government officials as a model example of an organization that should be replicated. However, underneath the guise of operating a legal labor union, Khánh Trắng started to transform the union into a type of organized crime group that extorted from the merchants in the Đồng Xuân market and created unfair policies that resulted in fines against the local merchants, and profit for Khánh. Another well known organized crime figure that originated from the North was Dung Hà, who was a female gangster from the city of
Haiphong Haiphong or Hai Phong (, ) is the third-largest city in Vietnam and is the principal port city of the Red River Delta. The municipality has an area of , consisting of 8 urban districts, 6 rural districts and 1 municipal city (sub-city). Two o ...
where she originally ran an illicit casino business, which brought her numerous followers or disciples. Other gangsters such as Hải Bánh also originated from the North, but some of them like Hải and Dung Hà later took their operations to the south in order to expand their operations and increase profit. Vietnamese drug lords control territories in the northwestern provinces. Because Vietnam is located near the Golden Triangle, its heroin trade is concentrated along its borders with Laos and Cambodia. Since 2019, not only has Vietnam become a drug market but also a transit port that criminals use to traffick drug to other countries. Meanwhile, Vietnamese illegal trafficking groups control areas in
Hồ Chí Minh City Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) ('','' TP.HCM; ), commonly known as Saigon (; ), is the most populous city in Vietnam with a population of around 14 million in 2025. The city's geography is defined by rivers and canals, of which the largest is Saigo ...
. Their networks have been linked to the human-trafficking and human-smuggling markets, the ivory- and pangolin-trafficking markets, illicit logging operations, arms trafficking, and drug-trafficking markets.


Structure

The Vietnamese mafia, nicknamed "the snake", has a rigid hierarchy, iron discipline, and total control over each member of the community established.


Crimes against tourists

Petty crime, which includes pick-pocketing and
snatch theft Snatch theft is a criminal act, common in Southeast Asia, South America, and Southern Europe, of forcefully stealing a pedestrian's personal property by employing rob-and-run tactics. Description It is typical for two thieves to work together a ...
, is common in Vietnam, especially near airports, sea ports and train stations. Scams are common in the country, and some of the most common ones include fake taxis/taxi scams, cyclo scams, fraudulent tour companies, shoe shine scam, fruit photo taking scam, massage scam, sunscreen scam and shopping scams. Foreign travellers have also reported attempts at sexual assault on fake motorcycle taxis (''xe ôm'') passed off as real ones. There are counterfeit and unauthorized merchandise which can be easily found in many areas of Vietnam.


Sex trafficking and prostitution

Prostitution Prostitution is a type of sex work that involves engaging in sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, no ...
is against the law in the
Socialist Republic of Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...
. Nevertheless, some women in the country work as prostitutes, either willingly or unwillingly, many blaming poverty or a lack of other employment opportunities. One source estimates the number of prostitutes in Vietnam to be 20,000 to 70,000. A number of women and girls from all
ethnic groups An ethnicity or ethnic group is a group of people with shared attributes, which they collectively believe to have, and long-term endogamy. Ethnicities share attributes like language, culture, common sets of ancestry, traditions, society, rel ...
and foreigners have been victims of sex trafficking in Vietnam. They are forced into prostitution or marriages.


Corruption and police misconduct

The Vietnamese government is making an effort to curb corruption in the country and a number of corrupt individuals, ranging from law enforcers to politicians, have been arrested. However, the police force in Vietnam is also known for excessive use of force and there have been reports of police assaulting unarmed individuals. On July 23, 2010, while in detainment for a minor offense (driving a motorcycle without a helmet), 21-year-old Nguyen Van Khuong lost his life when officers reportedly physically assaulted him. This misuse of force has raised concerns of the
Human Rights Watch Human Rights Watch (HRW) is an international non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. Headquartered in New York City, the group investigates and reports on issues including War crime, war crimes, crim ...
.


See also

* Nguyễn Văn Minh Tiến * Golden Triangle


References

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