Features of human trafficking investigation in Russia: comparative legal analysis and application of experience in Vietnam

The subject of this study is a comprehensive and in-depth analysis, systematization, and structured examination of the Russian Federation’s experience in investigating human trafficking crimes. The aim is to develop specific, well-grounded, and practically applicable recommendations tailored to the legal, institutional, and socio-cultural context of Vietnam. The research seeks to build a theoretical and practical foundation for improving the effectiveness and quality of investigations into transnational, complex, and highly latent crimes such as human trafficking, within the framework of international integration and digital transformation of criminal justice. The methodology is based on the dialectical-materialist approach, combined with comparative legal and systems analysis and statistical processing of data from Russia and Vietnam. The results show that Russia has developed a multi-level investigation system using interagency investigative teams (Article 492.1 of the Criminal Procedure Code) and a chain-based method (“recruitment – transport – reception – exploitation”). Russian law (Article 127.1 of the Criminal Code) offers a broader definition of trafficking than the Palermo Protocol, facilitating prosecution. Big Data and surveillance systems are actively applied within the “Safe City” program. Russia maintains international cooperation (CSTO, hotline with China), though it lacks a national coordination body. In Vietnam, the study identifies challenges such as the requirement to prove victim transfer, an age threshold of 16, insufficient investigator training, weak coordination, and inadequate victim protection. The novelty of the study lies in the first systematic comparison of two countries with similar legal traditions and in the proposed mechanism for adapting Russian investigative elements to the Vietnamese context. The findings may support the implementation of Vietnam’s Law on the Prevention and Combat of Human Trafficking, contributing to the creation of a modern, professional, and internationally oriented investigative system.