Report Vietnamese Sex Workers Surge in Bangkok Amid Visa Policy Concerns

[Jiggo]

At least your get your money's worth, they used to frequent Phnom Penh years ago, lighter skinned and not obliterated with ghastly tattoos.

[norsurin]

2 hours ago, Yagoda said:

OK Ill trust you on that, although I never go there in the afternoon. The Burgers are some of the best in town at Nana Burger right there. Good place Fuel up with some protein before you slink through the slime and vice.

First i thought they where thais..but when i start speak thai to them they didn't understand and told me in English they was vietnamese.Beatiful girls.

[Celsius]

1 hour ago, MarkyM3 said:

Met one off Tinder. Late 30s, runs a nail salon in HCMC, had flown in on the aforementioned tourist visa. Had a great attitude and lot of fun. 

 

 

This was, of course a casual encounter and not paid a paid exchange, right?

 

Because I can't imagine a woman running a nail salon to fly all the way to Thailand to prostitute herself 

 

[Bundooman]

On 5/27/2025 at 4:23 PM, JoseThailand said:

 

I don't wanna get scammed out of 1700 baht

Wow! is that what you were charged?

Even 500 Baht would be expensive!

You were obviously scammed!

[Bundooman]

1 hour ago, Celsius said:

 

This was, of course a casual encounter and not paid a paid exchange, right?

 

Because I can't imagine a woman running a nail salon to fly all the way to Thailand to prostitute herself 

 

Nailed it!

[Celsius]

23 minutes ago, Bundooman said:

Nailed it!

 

I hope he wasn't 

[cardinalblue]

What a ridiculous statement about more vietnamese workers than Thai workers…

 

there are probably more Thais in that downstairs freelance place on lower Sukhumvit then the total number of vietnamese workers in all of Bkk 

[Patong2021]

10 hours ago, Cameroni said:

 

I think you'll find 89% of Thai bank accounts have less than 50000 baht in them. Thailand has no more overcome poverty than the US.'

 

Most prostitutes in Thailand are Thai. Channel 7 nationalist nonsense notwithstanding.

 

I did not write that Thailand has overcome poverty, but there is no denying that Thailand is  far more prosperous than 40 years ago when the sex trade defined the tourism sector. We see it with changes like; 

- Income per capita rose from US$740 in 1980 to  US$7,770 in 2025 (estimated)

- National poverty rate fell from 42.5 percent in 2000 to 6.3 percent in 2021 World Bank calculation 

- National Poverty rate  fel from 34.1% in 1988 to 5.4% in 2022  UN calculation

- Thailand  has the 26th largest GDP in the world

- Thailand  is classified as an upper middle-income country

 

Yes, there is still poverty, but not the widespread chronic, systemic poverty that forced young boys and girls into prostituting themselves to depraved  sex tourists as was  documented in the 1980's and earlier. Thailand's youth are better educated and have more opportunities than in previous years, and working a Pattaya bar, getting humped by some creepy stinky farang is not one of them.

[Cameroni]

1 hour ago, Patong2021 said:

Thailand's youth are better educated and have more opportunities than in previous years, and working a Pattaya bar, getting humped by some creepy stinky farang is not one of them.

 

Really? Then why is every 3rd 23 year old on Thaifriendly telling me "I'm looking for customer"?

[HK MacPhooey]

On 5/27/2025 at 5:07 PM, snoop1130 said:

File photo for reference only

 

A startling report has uncovered a dramatic increase in Vietnamese sex workers, now surpassing Thai nationals in Bangkok's infamous sex trade. This shift is largely linked to Thailand's inviting tourist visa policies, which have inadvertently turned the kingdom into a hub for foreign sex workers.

 

Channel 7 News unveiled this developing issue, spotlighting how these visa rules have allowed numerous Vietnamese women to enter Thailand, with many ending up in the streets of Bangkok.

 

The report followed an investigative team from 7HD to Soi Nana 4, a well-known hotspot for the city's sex trade. Here, women of various nationalities, predominantly Vietnamese, were found openly offering their services. To dig deeper, the team posed as tourists, engaging with one woman who quoted her services at 1,700 baht.

 

Their attempt to negotiate the price down to 1,000 baht was met with refusal, and the woman confirmed her Vietnamese origin. This scene, according to the investigation, is not an isolated occurrence but a nightly reality in various parts of the city.

 

Airing their findings, Channel 7 included a scene where a concerned citizen implored the police to take action, stating, “the alley is already full.”

 

Despite this visual evidence and direct accounts, a Crime Suppression Division spokesperson confessed it was the first documented evidence of Vietnamese women working the streets rather than online. This prompted an immediate call for Division 1 to undertake an urgent investigation.

 

The burgeoning presence of foreign sex workers has also been observed by locals. Tuk-tuk drivers and residents alike confirmed the noticeable surge, with foreign faces becoming increasingly common in areas notorious for prostitution.

 

Despite the clear rise, the law remains firm; prostitution is illegal in Thailand, regardless of one's nationality. This increase in street-based solicitation has, therefore, become a cause for concern among law enforcement and citizens.

 

 

Police Major General Witthawat Chinkam, who heads the Metropolitan Police Bureau 5, offered insight into the situation. He explained that most foreign women arrive on standard tourist visas valid for three to five months.

 

Many are drawn to the trade not through coercion but by the advice and stories of peers already working in the industry. “They hear from friends that money can be made here, and so they come. But hearing it and doing it isn't legal. Our police forces have been conducting continuous crackdowns,” he stated.

 

Despite ongoing police efforts to curb illegal prostitution, the evidence from Soi Nana 4 suggests the trade's persistence and evolution. Foreign nationals, now a significant part of the scene, have complicated the issue beyond its traditional borders.

 

This dynamic shift in Bangkok's sex trade calls for a reevaluation of visa policies and stronger enforcement of existing laws to effectively manage the city’s thriving red-light activities.

 

As media reports shed further light on these issues, the challenge remains for Thai authorities to adapt and enforce regulations that address both the legal and social ramifications of this ongoing situation.

 

  Adapted by ASEAN Now from The Thaiger 2025-05-27

 

 

Hey Johnnie, love you long time

[drgoon]

I've found them very amenable.

Been with a few now.

 

Travel to Vietnam to see one I met 2 years ago regularly now. Makes an enjoyable distraction.

 

[EVENKEEL]

 

[JaxxBKK]

18 hours ago, Jiggo said:

At least your get your money's worth, they used to frequent Phnom Penh years ago, lighter skinned and not obliterated with ghastly tattoos.

 

92-96 Good times, but I'd heard some of the guys died of HIV.

 

Thailand has no social *safety network* even most "friends" will let you off yourself in slow motion. Phnom Penh REALLY has no net. Between the cheap alcohol, drugs and girls ...

[JaxxBKK]

15 hours ago, Patong2021 said:

 

I did not write that Thailand has overcome poverty, but there is no denying that Thailand is  far more prosperous than 40 years ago when the sex trade defined the tourism sector. We see it with changes like; 

- Income per capita rose from US$740 in 1980 to  US$7,770 in 2025 (estimated)

- National poverty rate fell from 42.5 percent in 2000 to 6.3 percent in 2021 World Bank calculation 

- National Poverty rate  fel from 34.1% in 1988 to 5.4% in 2022  UN calculation

- Thailand  has the 26th largest GDP in the world

- Thailand  is classified as an upper middle-income country

 

Yes, there is still poverty, but not the widespread chronic, systemic poverty that forced young boys and girls into prostituting themselves to depraved  sex tourists as was  documented in the 1980's and earlier. Thailand's youth are better educated and have more opportunities than in previous years, and working a Pattaya bar, getting humped by some creepy stinky farang is not one of them.

 

Thai youth have few opportunities certainly nothing that *education* has given them. Many become indebted early in life. Thai family can be burdensome.

 

It often takes years for Arts students graduating from even the top three universities to land decent jobs. By decent jobs I mean jobs in the big mango starting at 14k.

[QPRFC]

I used to waste so much time on Facebook but now find most wasted time is reading (and laughing or cringing) at  these 'stories' 

[sanabavy IV]

slim is beautiful