Phu Lam and 23-9 Parks in Ho Chi Minh City have become places for criminals who pickpocket and snatch belongings from people, as experienced by Tuoi Tre reporters in their fact-finding investigation.

>> HCMC to mobilize forces to crack down on crime>> Street robberies rise dramatically in HCMC>> HCMC aims to protect tourists from robberies>> HCMC to strengthen protection of foreign visitors At 11 pm on November 12, a Tuoi Tre reporter pretending to be searching for a prostitute stopped at the bus station in front of the Phu Lam Park, which is located between Binh Tan District and District 6. The reporter had been called at and waved over by some young female sex workers there. While he was talking with the girls, a group of gangsters approached and one of them grasped the reporter’s shirt and said, “You have teased our girls and now want to leave? You must pay us money or we will kill you.” The reporter had to pay VND300,000 and was let go. At 7 pm on November 10, when another reporter entered the park wearing a backpack, gangsters came up and threatened him with a knife. The thieves then searched his backpack and took VND160,000 from it. At 5:30 on November 7, a reporter was sitting on a bench in 23-9 Park in District 1 with his wallet extruding from the rear pocket of his trousers. A woman approached but she seemed to find it difficult to pickpocket, so she pulled out a small while handkerchief and waved it. Receiving her signal, a man immediately came over to the reporter and asked to borrow a lighter. While he was distracted, the woman used rapidly took the wallet out of the reporter’s pocket. As all of these incidents were anticipated, they were recorded by cameras.

This young woman is preparing to steal assets from visitors to the 23-9 Park (Photo: Tuoi Tre)

At night, parks like these become areas where thieves and pickpockets roam. At 10 pm on November 6, a man had his bag containing a laptop snatched by a young man in the 23-9 Park. A 50-year-old woman named Phuong, who lives on Pham Ngu Lao Street in District 1, said, “During an hour of exercising in the park I could witnessed 4-5 robberies or thefts.” They [criminals] even stole a pair of slippers since they were expensive, Phuong said. They also attack and steal from men who call at the parks to find prostitutes every night, locals said. Criminals lure men into going to nearby hotels with prostitutes and then steal their belongings, such as motorbikes and money. Meanwhile, many gangs are ready to fight each other to seize the right to “govern” a park. One such fight occurred on September 24, leaving one person dead and another injured. Senior Lieutenant Colonel Ngo Van Them, head of the Police of Ward 6 in District 6, said the police have seized 31 sex workers and 275 men who are homeless and are drug addicts in the Phu Lam Park area. Many social sponsoring centers refuse to receive such subjects, Them said. “Therefore, we are facing difficulty in coping with them, since many have returned to the parks and continued committing offenses.