Woman arrested for trafficking infant in north-central Vietnam

Police in Thanh Hoa Province, north-central Vietnam on Wednesday announced the arrest of a 38-year-old woman for allegedly trafficking an infant, according to the Vietnam News Agency.

Pham Thi Hang, a 38-year-old from Tung Lam Commune in Nghi Son Town, is currently in police custody for 'transferring and trafficking individuals under the age of 16,' according to the public security division of Thanh Hoa City, which is the provincial capital.

On Tuesday afternoon, police officers caught Hang arranging to sell a five-day-old infant at a motel on To Vinh Dien Street in Dien Bien Ward, Thanh Hoa City. 

Hang had planned to sell the newborn daughter of a woman from Vo Nhai District, Thai Nguyen Province, northern Vietnam to a family in Hoa Quy Commune, located in Thanh Hoa Province’s Nhu Xuan District, for VND45 million (US$1,768). 

Prior to this incident, local authorities had discovered a social media group founded to help infertile families adopt children.

Within this group, several members posed as adoption agents and solicited couples looking to purchase babies.

During their investigation, authorities found that Hang, who had previously been convicted for falsifying documents, was an active member of the social media group and was preparing for the sale of the five-day-old newborn. 

Initial findings also found that that N.T.M., the individual who agreed to sell the infant, had sought assistance from the social media group when she was nine months pregnant and realized she was in a difficult financial situation.

In her communications with Hang through Facebook, N.T.M. shard that she wanted to find a caregiver for her child.

Hang agreed to help N.T.M. find that caregiver and offered to cover all medical expenses and transportation costs from Thai Nguyen to Thanh Hoa.

Subsequently, Hang facilitated the sale of the baby to an infertile family in Nhu Xuan District for VND45 million. 

However, authorities intervened and arrested Hang during the transaction.

During a search of Hang’s residence in Hoang Dao Commune, Hoang Hoa District, Thanh Hoa Province, officers found three pregnant women living in the building and six birth certificates they suspected to be counterfeits.

Testimony from the three pregnant women revealed that Hang planned to arrange adoptions for each of their children, promising each woman VND10 million ($393) upon delivery.

Further investigations yielded many documents, primarily banking transactions, which implicated Hang's involvement in the trafficking of minors. 

Consequently, police issued a decision to detain Hang temporarily, pending an extensive probe and rigorous legal proceedings for 'trafficking in individuals under the age of 16.'