Police in Ho Chi Minh City have cracked down on a prostitution ring at a South Korean-owned restaurant where Vietnamese female attendants were reportedly arranged to provide sex services to foreign guests at hotel rooms or apartments in residential complexes.

The municipal police department on Monday arrested 42-year-old Hwang Chang Nam, a South Korean man who owned and operated JOY Restaurant in District 1, for investigation on charges of prostitution brokering.

Hwang’s four accomplices, including his countryman Jung Jong Pil and three Vietnamese, namely Tran Tien Trung, Cao Phuong, and Nguyen Hong Nhung, were also detained on the same day on the same offense.

Jung and Trung were two co-general managers at JOY, while Phuong and Nhung were their female staff responsible for managing and using sex workers to serve foreigners.  

The arrests were made two days after a police team raided the restaurant on December 30, following days of surveillance prompted by a tip-off from the public.

The facility was outfitted with a sophisticated alarm system and had three to five security guards on standby at the entrance area.

Searching the restaurant, the team found exhibits proving its prostitution brokering activities.

Based on testimonies from certain staff members, the police conducted ongoing raids at the Akoya Hotel in District 1 and an apartment in the Sunrise Cityview complex in District 7.

During these operations, three JOY attendants were apprehended for providing sex services to foreign patrons of the restaurant.

Hwang, Phuong, and Nhung, having known about the raid, left the city and fled to several southern provinces, including Dong Nai, An Giang, Can Tho, and Dong Thap.

However, they were apprehended on Monday, alongside Jung and Trung.

During the inspection, it was revealed that JOY had approximately 180 female attendants and 30 unlicensed karaoke rooms catering exclusively to foreigners, predominantly South Korean clients.

These attendants, facilitated by intermediary assistance from managerial staff, introduced sexual services to foreign patrons.

Following negotiations, they escorted their guests to hotels, charging VND3.8 million (US$156) for a single sex session.

The restaurateur enticed numerous South Koreans to work as managers and Vietnamese women to act as procurers by offering high salaries and commissions, Tien Phong (Vanguard) newspaper reported.

At JOY, patrons could indulge in provocative dances performed by young hostesses and were provided with reasonably priced sexual services, leading to consistent full occupancy of the restaurant and its karaoke rooms.

The establishment was reputedly considered a 'paradise' for South Korean men upon their arrival in Vietnam, according to the newspaper.

Police estimated that the prostitution ring had accumulated approximately VND20 billion ($821,700) from its illicit activities.

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