Human Trafficking and Emerging Sex Risk Environments in Vietnam: A Preliminary Profile of a Sex Work “Shared House”

Authors: Goldsamt, Lloyd; Clatts, Michael; Yu, Gary; Le, Bao & Colby, Donn

Abstract: Young male sex workers (YMSWs) in Vietnam have high rates of HIV and STIs, yet have poor access to health care due to low knowledge, stigma, and economic constraints. In the process of implementing a Sexual Health Promotion intervention to engage YMSWs in Ho Chi Minh City in health care, we identified a unique sex work venue, known as a “Shared House,” in which YMSWs provide sex under the direction of a manager who negotiates the terms of the transaction directly with the client. Survey data reveal that compared with YMSWs recruited in other locations, those interviewed in Shared Houses reported lower levels of substance use, less contact with the police, and fewer nights spent sleeping in public places. However, observational data and informal interviews with YMSWs in Shared Houses revealed that the majority were trafficked through third-party brokers who connect youth with Shared House managers for the explicit purpose of sex work. These YMSWs had little or no control over their sex-work transactions and very low levels of knowledge regarding transmission of HIV and STIs. Further research is needed in these and other venues in which young men are trafficked for sex work.

Keywords: HIV, male sex work, sex trafficking, sexually transmitted infections, Vietnam