On October 5, the border guard station at the Lao Cai International Border Gate formally opened an investigation into a suspected case of cross-border human trafficking. A girl from Lao Cai, born in 2009, was lured and deceived at the end of 2023 and illegally taken to Anhui, China, where she was "sold into marriage" for 110,000 yuan.
According to statements obtained by investigators, in the early hours of December 25, 2023, the suspect Ly Thền Hồ brought the girl to boundary marker No. 154 on the China–Vietnam border, climbed over the barbed wire and illegally crossed into China. He then contacted people inside China and sent the girl to Anhui.
The girl was later detained for illegally staying in China and was repatriated to Vietnam. Vietnamese border authorities immediately launched an investigation and identified two people involved in the case.
On the evening of September 27, Sùng Văn Quang (born 1996) was arrested at an industrial zone in Hai Phong, Vietnam. The following day, Ly Thền Hồ (born 1991) was also arrested in the Lao Cai border area. Investigators determined that Sùng Văn Quang is one of the main suspects in the case and that Ly Thền Hồ is suspected of personally taking the girl across the border illegally. Both men admitted to their involvement after being arrested.
On October 5, the border guard station at the Lao Cai International Border Gate formally opened a case on the charge of "organizing the illegal exit of others." The case is still under investigation, and the relevant authorities will further pursue the individuals and chain suspected of cross-border human trafficking.