Sex is considered a taboo topic for millions of Vietnamese, who grow up in the Southeast Asian country’s conservative and traditional family-oriented culture.
But to one’s surprise, the country of 86 million people is also a profit playground for the booming illegal trade of sex toys and stimulants.
Curious customers who want to spice up their sexual life can find a wide variety of the special toys and drugs on sale on online shopping sites, from hawkers in narrow alleys or even roadside stalls.
The special products range from vibrators, dildos, sex dolls, lubricants, condoms, handcuffs to sex stimulants which are said to improve libido, sexual functions and increase male vigor.
“Sellers from northern Vietnam smuggle most of the goods from China and provide 90 percent of sex toys on sale in the country,” Cuong, an online sex toy seller told Tuoi Tre.
“They are cheap products, those of better quality are brought to Vietnam by air travelers from the U.S. and Europe,” he said.
Some sellers choose the safe approach of carrying out the transaction online and delivering the goods to their customers without revealing their real addresses.
A small-sized sex doll is sold for VND800,000 (US$43.32) per product while the prices for life-sized items can be up to more than VND15 million ($812.34) each.
But sex toys sellers can also be found at the so-called condom shops across the southern hub, from central District 1 to more decentralized areas in Go Vap District or District 12.
Most profits from the business are drawn from the special items rather than condoms, the main selling items at the stores.
“All condom shops in HCMC sell sex toys nowadays,” a condom shop owner in Go Vap District said. “They would earn next to nothing from selling condoms only and will end up closing down their businesses.”
Sex stimulants, or aphrodisiacs, also attract curious customers despite their dubious origins and ingredients.
A condom shop in District 1 is selling a type of banned aphrodisiac which the shop owner claimed to take effect on both male and female within only two minutes after consuming.
Aphrodisiac hawkers even wander around local streets or enter public transport means, such as buses and vans, to promote their products.
The sellers, most active from afternoon until midnight, claimed their Viagra-like products were imported from China, Malaysia, the U.S. and Japan and asked for the prices of up to VND400,000 ($21.66) per tablet.
A large number of tobacco vendors in the city's "China town" or Cho Lon have also joined the lucrative trade of aphrodisiacs and sex toys. Some even hire prostitutes as “marketing agents” for their products.
Sex toy trade rooted from growing demand
But the booming trade of sex toys and aphrodisiacs also reflects a growing demand for the special products among local consumers.
Some seek the unique devices and drugs in hopes to solve their problems or improve their performances in the bedroom.
Meanwhile, others consider the items a solution to heat up their romance or fulfill their fantasies which are not satisfied by the partners. Sex toys are also an option for married individuals to avoid cheating on their partners.
“My wife often faces lots of stress at work,” H., a resident in Go Van District, said. “So we often have trouble reaching climax in our sex life.”
“So I bought the drugs for both of us,” he said. “My concern is the drugs are not sold officially and there is no way to control the quality of the products.”
“I think we should allow local shops to openly sell the products while tightening control on the trading activities,” H. said.
“Drugs and sex toys that are harmful and deadly to human must be strictly banned,” a District 12 resident said. “But the trading of the sexual aid products is just a normal thing, as long as they are not listed as banned products.”
Sex accounts for 65 percent of the total factors of a happy family, according doctor Pham Huu Quoc, an inspector of the city’s Health Department.
“Sex toys and aphrodisiacs are being widely sold in local market via different channels,” he said. “It means there is actual demand for the products.”
But the rampant use of the products has led to cases of people suffering from heart attacks, erectile dysfunction and other heath risks, according to the doctor.
Meanwhile, a large number of users have yet to be alarmed about the potential risks of using the devices of unknown origins, he said.
“The devices and medications must be quarantined, registered and used according to the prescriptions by doctors and experts,” Quoc said.
Despite the rampant trade of sex toys and aphrodisiacs of dubious quality in Vietnam, the country has yet to have any concrete regulations on the specific trade.
Those who are found selling the products without origin are only subjected to administration penalties and have their goods confiscated or destroyed.
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