Hanoi (VNA)ꦯ – The Party and State of Vietnam have consistently attached importance to ensuring and enforcing human rights, in which the fight against human trafficking has always received special attention, with the engagement of the entire political system and all-level administrations and agencies.  

In its recently-released 2021 Trafficking in Persons Report, the US Department of State mentioned Vietnam's remarkable efforts in human trafficking, but it continued toname Vietnam in the watch list for human trafficking. The report also included biased assessment that did not reflect the real situation in Vietnam. One important fact that the report failed to mention is that Vietnam is located in a "hot spot" of human trafficking. According to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime andthe International Criminal Police Organisation (Interpol), human traffickinghas become complicated in the Asia-Pacific, especially the Greater MekongSub-region, including Vietnam, in recent years. From 2010 to June 2021, Vietnam uncovered nearly 3,500 cases involving 5,000 traffickers and some 7,500 victims inall its 63 cities and provinces. Over the past nearly two years, the Party, NationalAssembly, Government, ministries, agencies and localities have made human trafficking prevention and control a key task. The Prime Minister established a steering committee on crime prevention and control whileministries, central agencies and mass organisations have stepped up public awareness campaigns on thefight against human trafficking via various forms. The public security forces collaborated with the border guard force tolaunch annual crackdowns on human traffickers nationwide and worked with counterpart in neighbouring countries to fight cross-border trafficking. Vietnam also refined laws and enhanced international cooperationin the effort to rescue and assist victims. The Vietnamese Foreign Ministry’s spokeswoman Le Thi Thu Hang has affirmed that the Vietnamese Government advocates legal, safeand orderly migration while resolutely fighting illegal immigration and humantrafficking. Vietnam is working to build a programme on human traffickingprevention and control for the 2021-2025 period, Hang said, adding that Vietnam needs support and collaboration from countries and international organisation amid rising crimes in the region and the world. Since the normalisation of diplomatic ties in 1995, Vietnam andthe US have seen their ties growing. Vietnam always hopes for new strides in itsrelationship with the US. However, the US still holds inadequate outlook on the situationin Vietnam. The spokesperson said in order to develop bilateral ties effectively, thetwo countries need to show good will and foster efforts for the well-being ofpeople in each country./.