Vietnam’s rapid fintech growth and high crypto adoption have created new vulnerabilities for money laundering—placing the country on the FATF Grey List in 2023. In this episode of Mekong Matters Chat Le Nguyen, Senior Lecturer at the University of Canterbury’s Faculty of Law talks about Vietnam’s AML challenges and reforms, from peer-to-peer lending and predatory loan practices to crypto-related fraud and the role of cash in a largely cash-based economy.

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This podcast has been funded by the Australian Government through the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. The views expressed in this publication are the author's alone and are not necessarily the views of the Australian Government.

In this episode of Mekong Matters, we examine how popular online games and adjacent platforms are being weaponized to target and exploit young people in Thailand.

Our guest Wirawan “Boom” Mosby, founder and director of the Hug Project Thailand, shares on-the-ground insights into how trust is built and abused online, how perpetrators profit from live-streamed content, and what families, schools, tech companies, and governments can do to protect children.

If you or someone you know needs help:

1. Contact your local child protection services or law enforcement immediately.
2. Report abusive content directly on the platform where it appears
3. Reach out to reputable child protection NGOs in your area

This podcast has been funded by the Australian Government through the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. The views expressed in this publication are the author's alone and are not necessarily the views of the Australian Government.

In this episode of Mekong Matters, we turn to Laos, where girls and young women are being lured across borders by false promises of jobs, security, and marriage. Once separated from their families, many face forced labor, sexual exploitation, surrogacy, and coerced criminal activity.

Our guest, Madame Intana, Director of the Association for Development of Women and Legal Education (ADWLE), explains how poverty, debt, gender norms, and limited opportunities drive vulnerability.

We also examine why many victims hesitate to seek help and the practical challenges they face, from lack of internet access to the need for precise address details to reach authorities.

This podcast has been funded by the Australian Government through the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. The views expressed in this publication are the author's alone and are not necessarily the views of the Australian Government.