Vietnam acts against prostitution

The Vietnamese authorities have outlined an action programme aimed at curbing the spread of prostitution.

The initiative will focus on reducing prostitution at tourist sites and persuading young people -- especially students -- to seek alternative forms of employment. It also aims to target prostitutes' customers, especially public employees. The government has also released figures showing that, since 1994, more than forty-thousand brothel owners have been arrested.

A BBC correspondent in Vietnam says there are fears that Ho Chi Minh City could start to attract large numbers of foreign sex tourists, in the same way that the Thai capital, Bangkok does.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service