Sex back on the menu in sultry former Saigon
HANOI -
Sex-related services are on the menu
at over 75 percent of restaurants in
Vietnam's Ho Chi Minh City, an
official daily reported on Friday.
Saigon Giai Phong said that of the
401 officially registered restaurants in
the city formerly called Saigon, 301
were a front for ``bia om'' (cuddle
beer). Bia om can include everything
from hand-holding to sexual
intercourse.
``The Trade Services Office has
withdrawn 96 (restaurant) licences
and refused to grant permission to 17
other restaurants...which showed
indications of being involving in
unhealthy business,'' the paper said.
Prostitution has boomed in
communist-ruled Vietnam as the
country has introduced reforms to
allow the creation of a market-style
economy.
The problem is particularly
noticeable in Ho Chi Minh City,
although it is common throughout the
country.
In the southern city, sex is available
in many bars, restaurants, massage
parlours, hotels, karaoke spots, on
pavements or from passing women
and trans-sexuals cruising the streets
on low-powered motorcycles.
The authorities have vowed to clamp
down on prostitution and other social
evils and periodically stage
well-publicised raids.
Reuters - April 23, 1999.
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