Ruan Najin's eyes light up every time the topic of conversation turns to marriage and children. Now 23, she plans to have both in just a few years.
Yet, after seven years as a prostitute in Southwest China, her exuberant hope also helps hide a real fear that all her dreams will be destroyed by AIDS.
"Girls like us usually go home for husbands at the age of 25 or 26," said Ruan, who comes from Viet Nam but would only give her Chinese name.
"I plan to stay here two or three more years to save money and then go back to find an honest man.
"My biggest concern, though, is AIDS. I haven't had a hospital checkup yet as I'm too scared."
According to HIV/AIDS Asia Regional Program (HAARP), Ruan is among at least 700 prostitutes working in Hekou, a town in Yunnan province on the banks of Honghe River, which marks the border between China and Viet Nam.
Funded by the Australian government, HAARP has been operating in China and across Southeast Asia for more than two years as part of efforts to raise awareness of the dangers of HIV among sex workers and their clients and drug users.
Its project workers are now based in 19 counties in Yunnan and 12 in Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region.
"Each prostitute (in Hekou) has sex 40 times a week with clients on average and 10.5 percent of them don't use condoms," said Duo Lin, manager of HAARP's Yunnan division, who explained that the majority in Hekou claim to come from Viet Nam.
"Our surveys show 7.5 percent of the Viet Namese prostitutes are carrying the HIV virus," he said. "The average age is 21."
Ruan, who arrived in Hekou when she was just 16, said she chose the job to make money to support her younger sister and brother back home in Ho Chi Minh City.
"I have no choice," she said in broken Mandarin as she sat in her small room off Viet Nam Street, a neighborhood popular with ethnic Viet Namese. Behind a curtain to her right was a small, dark room where she entertains clients. "I know there is a health risk to being a prostitute but I need the money."
Although she insists men wear condoms, Ruan admitted she usually agrees to unprotected sex in return for extra cash.
Figures released by the Ministry of Health show China had 319,877 reported cases of HIV and AIDS as of last October, with 49,845 having already died of AIDS-related disease since 1985.
HAARP, which also operates in Burma, Viet Nam, Cambodia, Laos and the Philippines, holds regular events to raise awareness about HIV and AIDS, and distributes healthy living literature and free condoms.
Program clinics, such as the one on Hekou's Viet Nam Street, also offer free blood screening services to sex workers and drug users.
"We believe the spread of AIDS could be prevented if the government provided free, anonymous physical exams to these people, too," said Duo. "When they come to our centers, they don't need to admit they are prostitutes and our staff don't pass on their details to anyone."
No official figure is available on how many foreign prostitutes work in China but Wan Shaoping, professor from the Sichuan Institute of Dermatology and Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STD) Prevention, said their numbers have swelled in recent years, with women arriving from Russia, Myanmar, Mongolia and Eastern Europe.
"Foreign prostitutes are in a high-risk group for AIDS and other STDs, mainly as they often do not use condoms," he said. "Also, their target customers are migrant workers, tourists and people who frequently cross borders, which makes STD prevention work even more difficult."
Wan argued that dealing with sex workers from overseas is more challenging for police as they usually enter the country illegally, while some simply outstay tourist visas.
"The best way to solve the problem is for the governments to increase the coordination with others countries," he said. They also should enhance health education in schools and among migrant workers.
'Paradise' cost
The town of Hekou sits at the lowest point of Yunnan and, although small, has a big reputation for being a "man's paradise".
On Viet Nam Street, people walk around in traditional Viet Namese conical hats and sandals, and the shop shelves are stocked with goods from south of the border.
According to a sex trade worker, Viet Nam Street is a hot spot for prostitution, with more than 500 women plying their trade along the 200-meter stretch of road. Prostitutes sit outside its many hotels and "hair salons", with most of them obvious by their scant clothing.
Pimps and touts are also busy at work. When China Daily reporters visited the neighborhood, a middle-aged woman was handing out business cards for a girl called Ms Saigon.
A fruit vendor in the street, where the buildings are mainly two or three stories, said prostitutes live and do business above the street-level shops.
Turning down one hutong revealed a line of "salons" and "spas", where the doors were either closed or blocked by women in heavy make-up smoking cigarettes.
"I'm just 20 years old," one of the women said to China Daily reporters in the local Miao dialect. "I'll make your night wonderful if you choose me."
The room behind her was small and sparsely furnished with just a table, some chairs and worn wood sofa. A handful of hairstyling tools were scattered on the table.
The woman, who claimed to be from Hanoi, capital of Viet Nam, said she worked for a man who "has several prostitutes". Her pimp was not in Hekou that day, she said, although there were a few large intimidating men hanging around in case of any trouble.
She refused when reporters invited her to get a drink because her boss "doesn't allow me to go out".
In a nearby "beauty shop", Li Tie (not his real name) said he had seven Viet Namese girls but explained they had already been "rented out", with four in Sichuan province, two in Hubei province and one in Yunnan's capital, Kunming. They will return next month, he said.
"Don't pity these girls. They earn at least 10,000 yuan ($1,400) a month and can even get 30,000 yuan," he went on. "Of course, they need to share the money with us, or else why would I bother with them?
"Most of these girls come from poor backgrounds in Viet Nam. Some of them worked as waitresses in restaurants and their incomes were only about 200 yuan a month."
Both of Ruan Najin's parents are poor farmers and would have been unable to afford her siblings' education had she stayed at home, she said.
"I receive more than 10 customers a day at most but I don't do that every day. Sometimes it is only one or two customers," she said. "Business has not been bad up to now and, taking away what I give to my boss, I can earn more than 10,000 yuan a month."
Li explained that Chinese and Viet Namese pimps control almost all of the women, with each taking care of four or five on average.
As 7 pm approached, the peak time for business on Viet Nam Street, touts began to openly solicit customers. Prices averaged around 150 yuan for sex - the money is shared equally between the pimp, tout and prostitute - but competition can be fierce.
"Hey, come here," shouted two women at a man from their window. "Only 200 yuan and you can have both of us, 100 yuan for each. Very cheap."
A police officer in Hekou who did not want to be identified said the prostitutes and pimps on Viet Nam Street have been far more reserved since a crackdown in 2002.
Now, if a man is with a woman they will not bother him, he explained. Pricing is also pretty fixed, with most charging between 60 and 150 yuan depending on the services required.
"These girls are very industrious and some of them work 24 hours a day. They will all come out in the evening and after 10 pm they can get more aggressive," said the officer.
"It is not just Hekou, though. This phenomenon exists in many places. Honestly speaking, we've done a lot of work on it, such as raids and crackdowns, but these people are just like weeds. They spread quickly."
For Ruan, she hopes her time on Viet Nam Street is coming to an end.
"My family doesn't know what I am doing here," she said. "I know I'm doing something without dignity and many people call me names but what other options do I have? Without money, you can't do anything.
"It's worth it to know at least my sister and brother will be able to live with dignity in the future," she added.
