"You may not be able to buy happiness on Taobao, but you can buy a Vietnamese bride."

This was the tag-line advertisement for a Chinese entrepreneur on Singles' Day as he promoted his unorthodox product -- Vietnamese brides -- for sale on Taobao for 9,998 yuan ($1,500)  each.

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The post on China's leading online shopping site Taobao was one of the 98 available items available for the sweet deal of 9,998 yuan. "For only 9,998 yuan, bring a beautiful wife home," the ad read.

Wang Xiao Xi, the entrepreneur who offered the brides, haS sold more than 2,500 other items in the last 30 days.

Reports indicate that the Vietnamese bride ad disappeared by 4:30 pm during the global shopping festival on Singles' Day in China last week. It is not clear whether the ad was taken down or the Vietnamese brides had sold out.

Buying Vietnamese brides is feasible in China and the practice is said to be rampant in the country. Mostly Chinese men in Henan are said to buy brides for 20,000 yuan through matchmaking websites.

Reports indicate that these men and their brides usually strike a good relationship as the economic condition in China is attractive and many of these so-called brides would love to go to the country. Some grooms are reportedly left furious after their brides run away. Some have sued the matchmaking site especially after spending to as high as 100,000 yuan for their brides.

In June this year,  Chinese police took down a syndicate ring and arrested 18 members of the gang who smuggled Vietnamese girls into China and sold them to for 20,000 to 40,000 yuan,

Early this year, at least 10 Vietnamese women were returned to their homeland after Chinese authorities rescued them from a syndicate who abducted them.

According to the Chinese Ministry of Public Service, around 1,800  Vietnamese women were returned to their country in 2009-2012 by the Chinese police after they were smuggled into China illegally.

A 2011 report said that 60 percent of the women trafficked into China from 2005-2009 escaped while 25 percent were rescued by the police. The rest were released by their captors after their families paid ransom to their abductors.

China's one-child policy has allegedly created a gender-population imbalance that is affecting the chances of finding some men finding a bride in the country. Importing brides from overseas is one of the remedies that these men usually resort to when they want to build a family.

An estimated 33 million Chinese men won't be able to find a wife in China and rather than opting polygamy or homosexuality, importing love from seems to be a solution that many have settled for.

TagsVietnamese brides, Taobao, brides, online shopping sites, imported brides, smuggling syndicates, Chinese police, polygamy, homosexuality, 33 million Chinese men, matching websites, beautiful wife, advertisement, Singles Day, global shopping festival, Henan men, 20 %, 20.000 yuan, $1, $1500, Chinese Ministry of Public Security, crisis