In the previous article, the author talked to you about the red light districts in Japan and South Korea, and today, the author talked to you about Vietnam. According to statistics, there are more than 30,000 stores in the red light district of Vietnam, and more than 200,000 "professionals". Vietnam's red light district has gone through several stages, unlike the situation in South Korea and Japan. So, in the red light districts across Vietnam, how to compete with other countries in Southeast Asia? Today, we're going to talk about that.
First, let's talk about the basic situation in Vietnam. Vietnam is a Southeast Asian country and a neighbor of our country, bordering Yunnan and Guangxi. The total population of Vietnam is more than 97 million, which is almost equivalent to China's Henan Province. In 2020, Vietnam's GDP totaled more than $270 billion. In recent years, Vietnam's development has been very rapid, of course, there are still problems in all aspects. On the issue of Vietnam's economic development, the author will take the time to talk with you slowly in future articles.
Vietnam was once part of the Central Plains Dynasty and did not break free from the control of the Central Plains Dynasty until the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. Since then, Vietnam has been one of the vassal states of the Central Plains Dynasty. For example, the name of Vietnam was canonized by the Jiaqing Emperor of the Qing Dynasty. Vietnam learned from various aspects of the Central Plains Dynasty, such as opera, costumes, culture, architectural styles, and so on. Through a series of old Vietnamese photos and videos, it is not difficult to see that Vietnam's taxes are very close to the Central Plains Dynasty.
Vietnam's historical documents are basically written in Chinese characters, so that most Vietnamese students today can't understand them. In the ancient history of Vietnam, various ancient Chinese books were compulsory. Vietnam abolished the imperial examination system later than the Qing Dynasty. Since the Zhongyuan Dynasty was basically copied in all aspects, the brothels in Vietnam were similar to those of the Zhongyuan Dynasty, and this situation continued into the modern period. After 1840, the Western powers launched a series of wars against the Qing Dynasty, such as the Opium War.
The Qing Dynasty was no longer able to maintain its own clan system, and the Western powers began to infect the various vassal states of the Qing Dynasty. Among them, France occupied Vietnam. Seriously, Vietnam was a barrier to the entire southwest of the Qing Dynasty, and its geographical location was crucial. In order to preserve Vietnam, the Qing Dynasty once mobilized troops to resist the French and aid Vietnam, and won the victory of Zhennanguan. However, due to various reasons, the Qing Dynasty had to give in, and Vietnam became a french colony. After France took control of Vietnam, it began to transform in all aspects.
Since the French ruled Vietnam for decades, during the French rule, the western-style red light district began to appear in several major cities in Vietnam. France's influence on Vietnam was great, and many Westernized cultures gradually took root during this period. Fast forward to the second world war, and the speed of France is staggering. In 1940, France surrendered in defeat. Subsequently, Japan, Germany's eastern ally, seized the opportunity to occupy French colonies such as Vietnam.
As we all know, Japan's "attainment" level in the red light district is very high. Although Japanese rule in Vietnam lasted only more than 4 years, the number of red light districts increased considerably. This phenomenon has been exacerbated by the fact that Vietnam has suffered natural disasters for several consecutive years and has greatly reduced grain production. In 1945, after Japan's defeat and surrender, Vietnam planned to develop independently on its own. However, France planned to re-establish its colonial system in Southeast Asia, several negotiations between France and Vietnam broke down, and finally France mobilized troops to Vietnam, and Vietnam began a war of resistance against France.
At this stage, France supported a puppet regime in the south of Vietnam, that is, the South Vietnamese regime. In the areas controlled by the South Vietnamese regime, the Red Light District is perfectly legitimate. After all, French officers and soldiers are the main consumers. In the north of Vietnam, all pornography, gambling and drugs were strictly prohibited, and all the soldiers and civilians waited for each other and began a hard war. In the 1950s, with the help of a series of allies, the Vietnamese army achieved a series of victories and seized the initiative in the war. For example, in the Great Victory of Dien Bien Phu, more than 10,000 French troops were annihilated.
France's national strength was limited, and in the face of a long war, France was unable to sustain itself. After 1955, France began to withdraw its troops from Vietnam. However, only a few months after the French withdrawal, the United States intervened in Vietnam. At first, the United States mainly aided the South Vietnamese regime, because the South Vietnamese regime was really muddy. Beginning in 1962, the United States had to personally go down and mobilize the army, navy and air force to participate in the war. The scale of the war is getting bigger and bigger, and the number of troops is also increasing. When the United States had the largest number of troops in Vietnam, it reached more than 510,000 people.
Hundreds of thousands of "heavenly soldiers" are stationed in the south of Vietnam, which is a huge market. During this period, the number of red light districts in the areas controlled by the South Vietnamese regime increased rapidly, reaching more than 330,000 professionals. Of course, as in the case of Japan and South Korea, there are also a large number of mixed races in Vietnam. However, this period of time belongs to the "flower in the mirror, the moon in the water." "The United States was mired in the quagmire of war, coupled with the overall economic downturn and global strategic needs, in 1973, the United States withdrew its troops from Vietnam in a complete way.
After the withdrawal of the United States troops, relying on the strength of the South Vietnamese regime, it simply could not last long. In 1975, Vietnam went south in a big way, completing the reunification of the country's north and south. After the unification of the South, Vietnam carried out various transformations in various aspects of the South. By 1978, the number of red light districts in southern Vietnam had plummeted, and the remaining red light districts had largely gone underground. However, at this time, Vietnam launched a new war and sent troops to occupy its western neighbor. It triggered a series of chain reactions.
Vietnam is mired in a decade-long military standoff, and because the country remains on war readiness, economic development is simply impossible. Vietnam's national strength was limited and it was entirely dependent on Soviet aid. In 1986, the Soviet Union, for a number of reasons of its own, halted all aid to Vietnam. In the same year, Vietnam had to promulgate the famous reform and opening up, and began to enter the track of attracting foreign investment and developing the economy. Since the late 1980s and early 1990s, the red light district in southern Vietnam has resurfaced and grown in scale.
After entering the 21st century, with the continuous development of Vietnam's economy. The number of red light districts in Vietnam is also surging and has gradually spread from South Vietnam to all parts of Vietnam. After all, after having money, the number of consumer groups is also increasing rapidly. Although the red light district is illegal and has been repeatedly cracked down on across Vietnam, the effect is not obvious. According to the statistics of some institutions, there are more than 30,000 stores in various red light districts in Vietnam, and there are more than 200,000 "professionals".
It has to be said that between Vietnam's red light district and several surrounding Southeast Asian countries, the inner volume is very serious, and a long-term competition has been launched. Please note that in most countries of the world, prostitutes and brothels are illegal and fall within the scope of the police crackdown. Especially in East and West Asia, the crackdown is very strong.
Finally, the author thinks of the old 1951 movie "Sister Sister Stand Up". The film reflects the tragic fate of prostitutes in the old era, and at the same time, shows their new lives after entering a new era.