A Jiangxi man was detained last week after bringing three Vietnamese women — his own betrothed, and two others intended for his friends — and their three relatives into China illegally, local media reported Wednesday.

The man, surnamed Hu, told police that they had crossed the border on motorbikes. One woman had agreed to marry Hu for 140,000 yuan ($22,000), while the others had yet to negotiate dowries with his friends. The group had been caught near Nanchang on April 26, when a railway officer questioned them and found that the Vietnamese passengers understood little Chinese and did not have valid ID.

While the six Vietnamese people reportedly consented to traveling with Hu, smuggling and human trafficking have long been problems along the China-Vietnam border. (Image: VCG)