The 2003-2008 campaign has helped more than 6,500 or 60 percent of wards and communes nationwide to be free from prostitution, according to Hien.

However, the Bureau reported that the number of sex workers has increased 0.9 percent over the five-year period to nearly 31,000 in 2008, while those sent to reeducation centers decreased from 3,700 in 2003 to 1,500 this year, pointing out that 70 percent of women who left the centers returned to prostitution.

According to the bureau, there are no specific penalties for pornographic acts, making the campaign less effective.

Hien said the ministry this month will recommend “setting up laws against prostitution,” at the national conference, with an emphasis on child sex-abuse, to replace the current anti-prostitution legislation.

Statistics from the bureau showed that Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City top the list of prostitution cases.

According to the Ministry of Public Security, around 4,500 women in Hanoi were suspected of prostitution involvement while HCMC had 20,000.

The ministry’s investigation also revealed that the industry recently has made cross border connections with foreigners organizing sex worker operations.

Reported by Thai Uyen