The Ministry of Public Security’s Criminal Police Department said on Friday that the gang, headed by a man known only as Wang, was a highly organised criminal network using social media, secure communications and fake identities to evade detection.
The case came to light when Division 5 of the Criminal Police detected suspicious activity on social media involving commercial surrogacy with links to other countries.
Investigators later confirmed that financially vulnerable Vietnamese women were being recruited as surrogates, with some taken to China or Cambodia for embryo transfers before returning to Vietnam for the remainder of their pregnancy.
Following orders from Senior Lieutenant General Nguyễn Văn Long, Deputy Minister and Head of the Investigation Police Agency, officers launched a series of raids on July 15.
Suspects taken in for questioning included Quách Thị Thương, 39, from Lâm Đồng; Phạm Thị Hoài Thu, 38; Phùng Thị Nương, 29; and Nguyễn Thị Hằng, 29, from Hà Nội; Nguyễn Thị Thu Trang, 33, from Ninh Bình; and Lò Thị Thanh, 29, from Sơn La, along with other related individuals.
Eleven babies, aged between nine days and three months, were rescued.
Investigations revealed that Thương, using the Zalo account 'Coca', later renamed 'Pepsi', was recruited by Wang in late 2021 to find women under 35 in good health to act as surrogates.
She also hired caregivers to look after newborns and arrange birth registration, DNA tests, paternity certificates, and travel documents.
Thu, a former surrogate herself, handled hospital admissions and discharges for surrogates. Thương was paid monthly wages by Wang with $1,000 and Thu received $500 per month.
Each surrogate received about VNĐ300–400 million ($11,460-$15,280) per pregnancy.
Police said Thương arranged about 60 surrogacies, earning VNĐ575 million, while Thu handled about 40 cases, earning VNĐ345 million.
Some former surrogates, still struggling financially, were rehired as nannies for other surrogates’ babies, paid up to VNĐ750,000 per day.
To avoid detection, members of the ring lived in luxury apartments with high security and frequently changed addresses.
Through investigations, police also detained three Chinese nationals who had entered Vietnam in May to collect a baby, allegedly on the orders of another Chinese suspect.
Police have charged Thương, Thu, Nương, Hằng, Trang, Thanh and Võ Thị Lan with organising surrogacy for commercial purposes.
The rescued infants are now in the care of an organisation run by the Vietnam Women’s Union’s Centre for Women and Development.
Authorities are working with the Ministry of Health’s Department for Maternal and Child Health and the Vietnam Children’s Protection Fund to ensure the babies’ safety while the investigation continues.