94,000 Vietnamese adolescents fall victim to online sexual abuse

About 94,000 Internet users aged 12 to 17 in Vietnam have fallen victim to online sexual exploitation and abuse, according to information shared at a Wednesday training session in Hanoi on protecting children and promoting safe and creative online interaction.

The number was revealed by the Vietnam Cyber Safety Children Club at the event organized by the Authority of Press under the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism.

In addition, the club reported that 40 percent of children feel unsafe and more than 70 percent have had unwanted experiences while using the Internet.

Mai Huong Giang, deputy head of the Authority of Press, said that alongside opportunities for learning, creativity, and connection in cyberspace, young people, especially children, are facing numerous risks such as cyberbullying, abuse, scams, and exposure to harmful content.

“These risks have serious impacts on the mental health, well-being, and overall development of children,” Giang warned.

According to Giang, a previous study by the Ministry of Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs found that among Internet users aged 12 to 17, up to 87 percent go online every day, but only 36 percent know how to protect their personal information.

Data from the U.S.-based National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) showed that in 2023 there were about 500,000 reports of online child sexual abuse images or videos linked to Vietnam.

UNICEF reports that 66 percent of the Vietnamese children surveyed do not know where to seek help when facing cyberbullying, and children aged 10 to 14 experience online bullying at particularly high rates.

Meanwhile, statistics from the the Department of Cyber Security and Hi-Tech Crime Prevention under the Ministry of Public Security showed that more than 77 percent of Vietnamese children and adolescents access the Internet on a daily basis.

In the first half of 2025, authorities recorded dozens of cases involving online scams, grooming, manipulation, and kidnapping targeting children and university students.

Many victims were forced to cut contact with their families and were remotely controlled for extortion or trafficking.

Data from the Ministry of Public Security showed that from mid-2024 to August 2025 there were about 50 cases of online kidnapping.

Twenty-five of the victims were in Ho Chi Minh City, and 90 percent were women aged 18 to 20, mostly students living away from home.

How to respond to online scams

Le Thi Mai Quyen, a representative of the national child protection hotline 111 under the Ministry of Health, warned that online kidnapping and extortion scams are no longer random phone calls.

Criminals now follow detailed scripts and study victims’ profiles to manipulate them.

Their tactics include impersonating police, prosecutors or court officials and sending arrest orders or investigation files to cause panic.

Once victims are frightened, the scammers continue psychological attacks and try to isolate them from others, for example by demanding that they remove their SIM cards, communicate only through specific apps, or report their location to the impostors.

Criminals may demand sensitive videos or photos, or stage scenes of alleged assault while issuing threats, making victims believe only the scammers can help them avoid legal trouble, and allowing the criminals to extort money from both the victims and their family members or friends.

Experts advise that anyone who suspects they are being controlled or threatened should immediately call police emergency number 113, local police, or support organizations.

Children and adolescents can contact the 111 hotline at any time of the day.

According to deputy head of the Authority of Press Mai Huong Giang, since 2021, numerous activities and campaigns have been launched to combat cybercrime and protect vulnerable groups, including children.

Notably, the United Nations Convention on Cybercrime, known as the Hanoi Convention, was signed in Vietnam in October, reflecting global efforts to fight cybercrime.

By Ha Quan & Dong Nguyen – Tuoi Tre News – November 20, 2025