FOREIGN WOMEN ATTACKED IN VIETNAM

Victims hit with bricks, stones, belts by gang of 25 youngsters on motorcycles

VIETNAMESE police said a gang of 25 youngsters is suspected to be targeting foreign women and violently attacking them in an area of the capital city here.

Police in the Tay Ho district here said several foreign women were attacked by the group while they were strolling around an area known as the West Lake in Quang An ward on Feb 28.

However, it is believed that there have been several other attacks earlier last month.

According to the Vietnam News Agency, the gang moved on motorcycles and targeted the women before hitting them with bricks, stones and even belts.

There have also been reports of rape but it is not known if they are linked to the same group.

Police are appealing for victims to come forward after receiving several complaints from a group of foreign women that they were attacked violently by the group.

Initial police investigations showed that the group comprised at least 25 people, but the motive behind the violent attacks was unclear.

A Vn Express news report said that following the attacks, expats had created a Facebook group called Hanoi Nightwatch as a platform to report cases of sexual assault and suggested ways in which members could protect themselves.

The page has more than 4,200 members.

The British embassy in the city had warned its citizens on its official Facebook page.

“We are aware that there has been a recent spike in reports of personal attacks, including rape and sexual assault, on foreign nationals in Hanoi.

“Some reports are of women being victims of assault and harassment, including inappropriate touching and groping.”

Following the British statement, Vietnam’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, Le Thi Thu Hang, said last week that her ministry would discuss with relevant Vietnamese agencies to verify the information and deal with the cases mentioned by the British embassy.

“Vietnam always pays attention to ensuring security, order and safety for Vietnamese people and the expat community in Vietnam, and strictly deals with lawbreakers.”

Some 91,000 foreigners from more than 100 nations and territories live and work in Vietnam, mainly in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi.