The Emergent Situation of Human Trafficking in Southeast Asia: A Case Study of Vietnam

Abstract

Vietnam is recorded as one of the transnational hubs of the Southeast Asian region in terms of human trafficking, particularly with women and children. In recent years, several cases are trafficking in persons in and through Vietnam towards their shared neighbours' countries, including Cambodia, China, and Laos, and beyond at third countries in the world. Although the Government of Vietnam recognized this new situation of human trafficking in domestic and regional scale and also deployed many programs to control, the effectiveness of these activities has been still limited. Within the scope of the paper, this study provides the general context of trafficking in persons in Vietnam with its specific characteristics in terms of both offenders and their related victims. Also, the current trends and patterns of human trafficking in Vietnam in comparison to the regional situation are also assessed and analyzed. There are main reasons to explain why these trends occur and exist in Vietnam as well as make clear some fundamental barriers to prevent and combat human trafficking at the current time. The paper also calls for practical recommendations to improve the effectiveness of preventing and fighting to traffic in persons in Vietnam in the future.