Police in the northern Vietnamese province of Lao Cai have arrested three suspects to facilitate their investigation into a case where a 15-year-old girl was sold to a prostitution ring.

The police unit in Lao Cai City, the capital of the namesake province, confirmed on Saturday they were investigating a prostitution racket that reportedly traded teenage girls.

Officers have arrested Hoang Dinh Huan, 26, Le Duc Long, 20, and Nguyen Thi Hong, 31. Hong has been released on bail as she needs to take care of her child who is under 36 months old.

Preliminary information showed that the Lao Cai City Office of Labor, War Invalids, and Social Affairs received a call for help from N.T.N., a 16-year-old girl hailing from north-central Thanh Hoa Province.

N. said she had been brought to Lao Cai by a man before being sold to a prostitution ring.

After being notified of the case, local police launched a probe and found out that Hong and Huan were members of the racket.

The two suspects stated they had 'bought' N. from Long at VND12 million (US$528) on August 19.

The girl was then taken to a house in Lao Cai City where she was forced to become a sex worker along with many others.

N. had to serve her clients twice on August 21 and 22, with Hong keeping all of the money she earned from the prostitution service.

On August 25, N. managed to escape from the place and asked some local residents to help her report the incident.

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