The female scouts of Vietnam’s police  Two female scouts of the drug crimes investigation unit (PC47) under the Ho Chi Minh City Police Department are at work on streetTuoi Tre Young female scouts often spearhead operations related to dangerous cases such as drug trafficking, as the criminals are less likely to expect a fight from a woman. This dangerous job can only be done effectively by women, since their appearance tricks opponents into overlooking their skills and tenacity. The most skilled women are assigned to the drug crimes investigation unit (PC47) under the Ho Chi Minh City Police Department. In appearance, they are cheerful, good natured, and innocent as schoolgirls, so it’s hard to imagine that they are scouts able to make a finishing stroke at the right time. Le Quyen, 24, is one such female scout. Bearing the rank of second lieutenant, she is the most well-trained and skilled in martial arts on her team. Yet this ability is ‘wrapped up’ inside her slender frame and soft, pink skin. “Once I went into the Gold Club in District 1 to look into reported drug use. Several times I was sent out by criminal policemen as they did not know I was a scout,” Quyen said. After passing the entrance exam at Police College No.2 in Thu Duc District with a high grade, Quyen was assigned to the Drug Department of the school. She trained in different martial arts, including pencak silat, boxing, vovinam, and taekwondo. Upon graduating from the school, she was sent to Unit 6 – the scouting team of the city’s police force. “She is brave, quite different from her frail gait. She has entered the nest of drug trafficking dens. Her male partners can’t do this because they will be discovered, as the area is almost inviolable,” said captain Mai Huyen – deputy head of the general consultation team. Quyen has spent four years scouting for drug trafficking, and the case involving the arrest of a Filipino trafficker in 2012 left an unforgettable impression on her, she recalled. “A Filipino woman transported four kilograms of heroin into Ho Chi Minh City and was nabbed soon after. She declared that she would transfer the goods to another person at a hotel in District 5,” Quyen said. “I was assigned to stay in the hotel room with the woman to catch this person.” “It was dangerous as I was alone in the hotel room and had to confront at least two drug traffickers. My colleagues were set up in support though. “It would have been even more dangerous if the receiver had a gun. I could have been harmed if my colleagues were late in responding. “My team members were disguised as security guards, receptionists, and room cleaners, and took turns standing on duty. ”The person who came to receive the drugs was another Filipino woman. She was surprised immediately upon touching the goods when the door opened and other scouts rushed in. “I rarely resort to guns in such cases,” Quyen told Tuoi Tre. She is now following a four-year academic program to get a Bachelor’s degree in English Linguistics and Literature. TUOI TRE