Massage worker admits to earning up to $7,660 per month from prostitution in Hanoi

After uncovering signs of illicit activities at Dong Do Massage Parlor, located at 146 Giang Vo Street in Giang Vo Ward, local police launched a probe into the case.

The venue was reportedly facilitating prostitution services under the cover of massage therapy.

The establishment was registered for business by Pham Tuan Thinh, a 26-year-old resident of Thanh Tri Commune in Hanoi.

According to police, Thinh and Nguyen Van Ninh, 36, from Vat Lai Commune, were responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operations and managing the activities of female employees.

Two other individuals, Nguyen Thanh Trung, 40, and Le Duc Trung, 30, worked as receptionists and were tasked with supervising the night shifts of female workers.

Nguyen Thuy Hang, 28, from Ho Chi Minh City, was in charge of managing payments, including massage fees and tips collected from clients.

Investigators determined that Dong Do Massage Parlor had been in operation since 2022.

In recent months, to attract more clientele, the business had begun openly facilitating prostitution.

Thinh and his associates coordinated with female staff, agreeing that they could offer sexual services to customers during massage sessions, charging VND2-3 million ($75.5-114.8) per service.

All the massage rooms were equipped with glass doors, so the female workers were instructed to lay down towels and engage in prostitution right on the floor near the entrance, in order to avoid detection by authorities.

During police raids, surveillance staff would alert each other via walkie-talkies, then go to these rooms knocking on the doors to notify the sex workers and clients.

Duc Trung confessed that clients looking to purchase sex services would often reach out via the Zalo messaging app.

After receiving confirmation, he would assign a female employee to the room.

Payments were typically transferred electronically to Hang, who would deduct VND1 million ($38) for the massage service, with the remainder going to the sex worker.

One woman involved in the operation, identified as L.T.T.N., 30, from Hau Giang Province, southern Vietnam, admitted that she charged VND2 million on sexual service, not including the massage fee.

She handled the transactions directly.

She disclosed earning between VND150 million and VND200 million each month.