Demand for wives in China endangers women who live on its borders
Local residents often turn a blind eye to trafficking
HUONG was only 15 when she went out to meet a friend in Lao Cai, a city in northern Vietnam on the Chinese border (see map). She thought she would be gone a few hours, but it was three years before she managed to return home. Her friend had brought with her two acquaintances—young men with motorcycles. They squired the girls around town and took them to a karaoke bar, where their drinks were spiked.
This article appeared in the China section of the print edition under the headline “Fear on the border”
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