Saigon Undercover

Book excerpt: A side effect of Vietnam's stratospheric economic growth has been a burgeoning erotic industry catering to locals and tourists. In his fifth Undercover title and the eighth in the Undercover series, author Ewe Paik Leong investigates the gritty underbelly of Saigon. He chats with bargirls in Bui Vien Street, navigates dark alleys in Little Japan, slurps coffee in ‘hugging cafés' and swigs whiskey in nightclubs with mamasans, hustlers and goons. Hair-raising stories of sexual exploitation, ruthless betrayals and daring scams emerge. From Saigon, Ewe travels to Phuket in Thailand, where he explores Patong's Walking Street, before returning to his hometown of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to unearth nuggets on male webcam models, women go-getters and Hong Kong-style cathouses.