15 years in prison for two women who sold a baby girl to be the wife of three men.
Ha and Trang conspired to trick and sell a girl who was just over 12 years old abroad. Subsequently, the victim was sold three times as a wife to local men.
On February 24th, the People's Court of Nghe An province held a first-instance trial to hear the case against defendants Vi Thi Ha (born in 1986) and Lo Thi Ha Trang (born in 2002), both residing in Yen Thang commune, Tuong Duong district (Nghe An province), for the crime of "Child trafficking"
According to the indictment, in June 2017, wanting to find a job as a babysitter or domestic helper for her daughter, Tinh Thi MX (born in 2004), the mother approached Vi Thi Ha (her younger brother's daughter). Hearing this, Ha promised to help find a job.
Knowing that Lo Thi Ha Trang was living and married in China, Ha called to inquire about a job for X. Trang said that going to China was just for marriage, there was no work to be done, and if agreed, she would pay the family whose daughter was going to marry 100 million dong, and Ha would receive 15 million dong as commission.
Hearing this, Ha agreed. Afterward, she met with X.'s mother and deceived her into believing she had found a job for X. in China. Trusting her, the mother agreed to let her daughter go abroad.
On June 10, 2017, Ha picked up X. and then took a bus to Mong Cai City (Quang Ninh). There, Trang arranged for someone to take X. across the border into China via an unofficial route, while Ha returned home.
Abroad, Trang sold X. to a man born in 1994 in Hebei Province (China) to be his wife for 314 million VND. Trang had someone bring 115 million VND to Ha. Afterwards, Ha gave 100 million VND to X.'s mother, keeping 15 million VND for herself.
X. lived with her first husband for about two years before Trang sold her to a second man in Henan province for 83,000 yuan (approximately 275 million VND). According to Trang's testimony, because X. left, Trang had to return the money to her first husband.
After two years living with her second husband, X. was sold by another woman to a third man in Hebei province to be his wife. In April 2022, Tinh Thi MX was rescued by the Blue Dragon Children's Organization of Vietnam and brought home.
On August 7, 2024, the victim filed a complaint against the perpetrators with the police. Four days later, Vi Thi Ha and Lo Thi Ha Trang surrendered to the police.
The investigating agency determined that at the time Ha and Trang committed the first crime, X. was only 12 years, 6 months, and 25 days old.
At the trial, both defendants admitted to the crime. Defendant Trang testified that after the victim fled, X.'s second husband came to her demanding the money back. Therefore, she had to return 40,000 yuan to him. Thus, she profited 6 million dong from that sale. In this case, Trang sold X. twice, therefore she faces aggravating circumstances.
Attending the trial, the victim demanded that the two defendants compensate her with 100 million VND. Defendant Ha had her family pay 11 million VND in compensation to the victim, while defendant Trang paid 3 million VND.
After a comprehensive review of the case, the panel of judges sentenced Vi Thi Ha to 10 years in prison and Lo Thi Ha Trang to 5 years in prison for the crime of trafficking in children.
