~ Le Viêt Nam, aujourd'hui. ~
The Vietnam News

[Year 1997]
[Year 1998]
[Year 1999]
[Year 2000]
[Year 2001]
[Year 2002]

Availability of sex pages in Internet cafes worry vietnamese parents

A stony-faced woman enters the obstetrics hospital, followed by her 12-year-old daughter who is two months pregnant. Fearful teardrops still linger on the girl's young and inexperienced face, as she faces the consequences of times sharing sex pictures with a boy she got acquainted with through online chatting.

Many parents cannot imagine that connecting their home computers or paying for information technology training courses for their children, in the hope that they will be in tune with modern developments or to make study more beneficial, could actually expose them to illicit activities. Instead of searching for useful knowledge after school hours in internet cafes, many youngsters have dropped out of class and spend dozens of hours surfing the net for depraved websites, whose addresses are easily found.

Vietnam has set a priority of developing information technology. By late 2001, the country had over 200,000 Internet subscribers. Online services are mushrooming in major cities and provinces such as Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Hai Phong, Da Nang and Binh Duong. To draw in customers, services have slashed their access prices from VND10,000-12,000 (66-79 US cents) per hour to a mere VND2,000-3,000 (13-19 cents). Sex pages are readily available, despite the government's latest ban on depraved websites.

A survey of internet services indicates that up to 90% of access to sex pages are by pupils and students. Web pages with provocative footage of XXX rated films, images of nudists or advertising sex tools have especially provoked the curiosity of juveniles in this Communist-ruled country, where the topic of sex remains taboo. Parents often avoid talking to their children about it, while safe sex lessons have not been added to school curricula as it still faces fierce objection from cultural officials who persist with the idea that it will trigger widespread sexual activity. However, accessing sex websites is becoming a trend among young Vietnamese.

"It's normal. Anyone who does not know of such pages would be considered to be internet illiterate. I would be scorned if I did not have a special folder in my computer containing sex pics to exchange with my friends. Chatting is as old as the hills, but surfing sex pages is stylish," said M.H, a student from the National Economics University.

"Initially it was only for curiosity, but later I became addicted. My parents bought a computer for me but I prefer sitting in internet cafes where I will not be watched," said N.H from the Chu Van An Secondary School. A lack of knowledge about safe sex plus the availability of sex websites have contributed to an increasing number of abortions in recent years. The Ministry of Health reports that 1.2-1.4 million abortions are carried out each year, of which nearly 300,000 are for under-age girls.

Local internet service providers have set up firewalls to prevent the penetration of depraved pages but, in reality, they do little. Sociologists are urging responsible organizations to conduct regular inspections of internet cafes to close down those who violate regulations, while parents and schools should increase guidance of children in healthy activities. Under prevailing laws, those who take advantage of the internet to popularize depraved or reactionary information will be fined VND10-20 million ($ 662-1,324), or even face criminal prosecution.

Xinhua news agency - May 16, 2002.