Huynh Van Luan Em, 31, who runs a massage parlor on Nguyen Thien Thuat Street in the famous backpacker area in the beach resort town of Nha Trang, was arrested on Tuesday and placed under investigation for providing illegal sex services.

Police say that Em started offering sex services by masseuses about four months ago to foreign tourists coming for massages. He charged them VND1 million ($43).

Preliminary investigations show that the sex workers received VND300,000 for each session while Em took the rest.

On Sunday night, police officers raided the parlor and caught two masseuses having sex with foreign customers.

The sex workers confessed to the police that they had been working for the prostitution ring managed by Em and had also stolen money several times from customers while serving them.

Huynh Van Luan Em, 31, was detained Tuesday for arranging masseuses to provide
sex services for customers, mainly foreign tourists. Photo courtesy of Nha Trang police

Police are investigating the case further. They said they had been monitoring the ring for several months to collect evidence before cracking down.

Khanh Hoa Province, home to the famous resort town of Nha Trang, welcomed 2.8 million foreign arrivals last year, increasing 37 percent from a year ago. Most of them are from China and Russia.

Under Vietnam's Penal Code, sex workers are given a warning and fined VND100,000-300,000 ($4.26-12.78), while pimps and sex ring organizers can get between six months and five years in jail.