These are all the words a true chatter can say about the current net rescue movement. Every night, the female “chatters without money” sit with wide eyes waiting for the gallant gentlemen to come to their rescue…
The common trait among them is a provocative nickname along with a status: “stuck in the net” (meaning short on cash). The phenomenon of being “stuck in the net” has spread so rapidly that numerous generations from the 1970s, 1980s, and even the 1990s across the country have been infected…
Just a Bowl of Crab Noodle Soup
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The end of a net rescue is… a motel |
One night spent with chatters in an internet café on Hàng Giấy Street (Hanoi), and I truly understood why chat rooms are always full every night. Registering with the nickname vietkieu…, I tried announcing in the Hanoi89 room: “Is there anyone who needs rescuing from the net?”. Immediately, Dylanblack – a nickname full of street smart – responded sarcastically: “Go find some girls from the south”. After a while trying to create a more enticing nickname, boy…, I continued: “Any girl stuck in the net, I can help”.
My offer was warmly welcomed by usernames: y3u_anh_1_d3m; dem_mau_hong1986; girlcantien… Before I could think, the girls pressed me into a corner. One gently said: “I’m so hungry. Rescue me from the net and get me a bowl of crab noodle soup.” Another quickly asked: “Is it near Bách Khoa?” and straightforwardly provided her phone number and the address of the internet café.
One girl ensured her allure by “showing off” through webcam. The pressure was overwhelming, including a 19-year-old who only asked for a bowl of crab noodle soup and 168,000 VND for a day of chatting. The others added expenses for “eating and drinking while stuck in the net,” totaling nearly 300,000 VND, which left me astonished.
Hero or Victim?
There are countless reasons why today’s youth dive headfirst into being stuck in the net. Even those with money still get stuck, and those without money go chatting because they are confident someone will rescue them. The heroes are the players seeking new thrills, teen boys wanting to learn about life, and chat addicts drawn to the unfamiliar… As a result, net rescue gangs have emerged, specializing in extortion-like tactics.
L.’s gang in the Mơ Market area consists of five idle members. The bait for their net rescue scheme is two attractive teen girls. T.A. – a girl in her teens, fair-skinned, with the appearance of a European young lady. T.A. always gets straight to the point: “Can you rescue me from the net? If not, leave” whenever someone invites her to chat.
T.A. asserts that to catch a victim, one must know their age and occupation to set a price. Besides the net rescue money, the girls also keep a little for their own spending. T.A.’s account makes many people jump: naythangkia_tao_… The second girl, Ph., specializes in provoking victims by inviting them to… sleep. Ph. possesses the allure of youth, full of vitality.
The legend of L.’s gang’s scams is most famously illustrated by a case involving a guy named T., a Hanoi player who drove a car to rescue from the net. After paying, he took the two girls out for a hearty meal, planning to take them to Gia Lâm when suddenly a thug jumped in and started a brawl. The victim, bewildered, could only hit the gas and flee.
The thug was actually an accomplice of the girls – L., another victim who, after spending 260,000 VND to rescue them, was lured to a café where L. waited outside. Without waiting for L. to act, the two girls began recounting tales about a gang of thugs protecting their group. Seeing the target laugh dismissively, the girls switched to discussing their youthful age. Within five minutes, the guy sadly walked away.
According to “emcantien,” forming net rescue gangs is currently trendy among street dwellers. Some girls even prepare backpacks with clothes nearby so that their prey won’t suspect anything. Once the victims have paid all their expenses, the girls come up with various excuses: a brother is coming to pick them up, a stomach ache, feeling sick… to escape. If there is no other way, their protective gang will step in. Mild threats may occur, but more severe consequences could involve a few punches. Another trick from the net rescue community is to lure victims into a hotel where, while the victim is showering, the girls will “sneak out.” Some net rescue groups earn 400,000-500,000 VND in a single day.
Tùng, a “net rescue expert,” states that the current net rescue scene has become excessively promiscuous. Many girls agree to sleep with their rescuers without using any protection. On average, these girls spend 4-5 days a week in this lifestyle.
It is unclear how the authorities will address this phenomenon. All that is known is that every night, internet cafés continue to operate in full swing despite regulations regarding business hours and the users of the internet… being continuously issued in recent times.
