Authorities detained two alleged marriage brokers accused of running the ring, a police officer in Ho Chi Minh City said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.
Taken into custody were Sen Cam Dui, 43, and his wife, Huynh Thi Thu Thuy, 37. They are suspected of gathering 116 Vietnamese women, aged 18 to 30, and introducing them to South Korean men, he said.
Police raided the Ho Chi Minh house where the women had gathered just after two South Korean men left. They were waiting for another round of suitors to arrive.
The couple charged South Koreans 500,000 dong (US$32) for each visit and 3 million dong (US$192) for a successful match, the officer said.
The women were sent back to their home provinces, mostly in the southern Mekong Delta, he said.
Police are widening their investigation into the ring, which they believe involved more than two brokers.
"This practice is totally unacceptable," said Tran Thi Quoc Khanh of the Vietnam Women's Union. "It goes against the traditions of Vietnamese women, who value sentiment in their marriage."
The police officer said police have broken up several matchmaking rings for South Korean and Taiwanese men in recent years.
Vietnamese laws prohibit commercial matchmaking for foreigners, but allow nonprofit matchmaking centers run by the women's union.
Thousands of Vietnamese women marry South Koreans and Taiwanese each year.
|