Three Vietnamese men convicted of gang raping a 20-year-old woman in 2000 were released last week released after an acupuncturist claimed they were still virgins. Traditional medicine practitioner Pham Thi Hong says she can detect a man's virginity based on a small dot on the ear. 

"The spots should have disappeared if they had sex and these men have not have sex before," said Hong, 50, Hanoi, Vietnam.

Lobbying for the men's release went all the way to the president of the nation and the case was re-examined. According to the local Pioneer newspaper, the testimonies of witnesses that indicated that the men were innocent had not been included in the case's files so the convictions were suspended.

Earlier this week, Vietnamese newspapers dedicated profiles to Hong and her virginity test and Pioneer readers have expressed their "great admiration" for her efforts.