Many women had already become victims of the surgeries. The first one, N, 25, from District 5, HCM City, said she got cosmetic surgery at a beauty salon on Nguyen Duy Cuong street, HCM City. The cost of the surgery was VND12mil (US$750). The salon injected 20cc of a kind of liquid  into each breast. After three days, her breasts swelled and  caused her serious pain.

The second victim was K, 25, from District 4, HCM City. K had cosmetic surgery at another beauty salon. The first time, she also ordered 20cc of the liquid for each breast. K then returned to the salon two more times and had even more of the solution injected. Like N, K experienced serious pain and swelling after that. She had to go to Cho Ray Hospital for treatment.

Dr Le Hanh, head of the Cosmetic Surgery Department at Cho Ray, recalled that recently she had received a group of five young women who were all victims of cosmetic surgeries.

As Dr Hanh said that each of the victims had got at least one injection in her nose, lips, chin or hand. They did not know what the solution they received was. After a few days, all of them suffered pain. Skin around the injection area was swollen, black or chapped. 
And not only women; men are also victims of cosmetic surgeries.
Side-effects of cosmetic surgeries have been frequently covered by the media. Most of the accidents happen at private beauty salons, which have not obtained permission to perform cosmetic surgery. 

In the last six months, Cho Ray Hospital has continuously received cosmetic surgery victims, most of whom had been injected with "strange liquid medicine." Surprisingly, those victims all entrusted themselves to the beauty salon because of expensive cost. The more expensive the cost, the more legitimate the procedure seems to be. 

According to Hong, a staff of a beauty salon on Nguyen Cu Trinh street, District 1, HCM City, the cost for a surgery to absorb grease is VND10mil (US$625). As the staff further related, a breast augmentation surgery goes for about US$2,500. The costs of minor operations on lips, eyes or noses can reach VND2,8mil (US$175).

According to A.V., a go-between for those seeking cosmetic surgeries in District 1, the costs at beauty salons "depend on the prestige and condition of the salon and of its doctor." A.V. is regular partner of five such salons.

 K, one of A.V.'s customers, said she had to run from an illegal salon. "I did not dare risk having surgery there."

Cosmetic surgeries are even done at hair salons, or even done by mobile "surgeons," who bring tools and travel around the city. C, a recent victim, was killed by a mobile surgeon.

According to the HCM City Health Department, it monitors beauty salons frequently, but it is very difficult to control illegal and risky cosmetic surgeries.

Cho Ray Hospital's Dr Le Hanh warned: "People must not use liquid silicon for cosmetic surgeries. Instead, they should use other solutions as Collagène, or polyarcylamid gel. It is safe and durable. However, the solution is quite expensive. Customers should take advice from doctors before undergoing surgeries."