The father-son bond has faded.

(Baonghean) - Having attended many court hearings and witnessed numerous cases reenacted through the defendants' testimonies, some cases, even after the trials have concluded, still leave me deeply troubled by the fates of the people involved... It seems that the "common denominator" of these cases stems from long-standing family tragedies. And in these family tragedies, the image of the father has become distorted in the eyes of his young children...

The trial took place on a scorching hot day at the end of June. The atmosphere in the courtroom was equally tense, as the victim repeatedly requested that the court increase the defendant's prison sentence. The victim disagreed with the five-year prison sentence handed down by the lower court and appealed for a harsher sentence. This is quite normal in court proceedings. But when I read the indictment from the People's Procuracy, my heart ached because the man sitting in the victim's seat and the man standing in the dock were father and son, bound together by a sacred blood relationship. Yet, standing before the court, that bond had been severed, each word the father uttered being an accusation against his son. He dared to beat him, he tried to kill him! He tried to express his frustration to the court. On the dock, the son remained silent. But then, when the whole thing was reenacted, people felt more sympathy for the perpetrator, who was also a victim of domestic violence.

Illustration: Hong Toai

NQN (born in 1993, residing in Nghia Dan) is the second of two sisters. From a young age, N and her older sister witnessed countless beatings inflicted by their father on their mother. N's father was ill-tempered and a heavy drinker. With a little alcohol in his system, he would beat his wife mercilessly. N's mother had to flee countless times to escape her husband's beatings. She went to the South to work, both to avoid her husband's abuse and to send money back to support her children. Perhaps those years of wandering were the most peaceful period of her life. When Mr. NQD (N's father) was injured and bedridden, with no one to care for him, she packed her bags and quietly returned to fulfill her responsibilities as a wife. But when her husband recovered, the tragedy repeated itself. He beat her more frequently and violently, even using a knife to force her to give him money for gambling and drinking. N witnessed all the arguments and beatings her father inflicted on her mother. N's sisters could only burst into tears and urge their mother to run away. Their mother's savings from years of working as a laborer were dwindling due to raising her children, paying for their education, and caring for her sick husband. She decided to borrow money to "arrange" for N to go abroad for work. Knowing his wife had money, her husband demanded it, but she refused. He then beat her severely. Witnessing her father beating her mother, N rushed in to intervene, telling her mother to run away. As soon as her mother left the house, Mr. D and N started fighting. N grabbed a bamboo stick from her father's hand and fought back. It seemed all the pent-up frustration was channeled into her arm. Only when she saw her father lying motionless did N suddenly realize what had happened and frantically call for help to take him to the hospital. Mr. D suffered 36% health damage, and N was prosecuted for intentional infliction of injury. Instead of using a father's compassion to forgive his son's mistakes and reform him, Mr. D appealed for an increased sentence for his son when the Nghia Dan District People's Court sentenced N to 5 years in prison. Many people attending the trial, and even members of the judging panel, were deeply saddened. His appeal was rejected because the court found that he was partly at fault in the case. If only Mr. D hadn't acted violently towards his wife, if only he had given his son a proper home, N wouldn't have to stand before the court like this. Historically, children beating their fathers is considered unfilial and reprehensible, but if only he had possessed the compassion of a father, perhaps N would only have to face legal punishment instead of suffering further emotional pain. I believe N will overcome the 5-year sentence, but when will the pain and trauma inflicted by his father ever heal?

While court hearings are often seen as farewells, the trial of NTV (born in 1993, Nam Dan) was a reunion for father and son. V was prosecuted for "destruction of property." The property V destroyed was his parents' multi-billion-VND wooden house. At the appeal hearing, V's father, NTT, was brought from the provincial police detention center to attend as a person with relevant responsibilities and obligations. Previously, T had been sentenced to death by the Nghe An Provincial People's Court for illegally trafficking narcotics. Playing the role of a wealthy timber trader, NTT led a ring that illegally trafficked 208 blocks of heroin from Laos to Vietnam. Given the label of "tycoon," T built the largest wooden stilt house in the commune to match his status. The money from drug trafficking ruined T's son. He became reckless, addicted to methamphetamine, and in a drug-induced frenzy, angry at his mother and wife for feeling abandoned by his loved ones, V poured gasoline on his bedroom and set it on fire. The flames spread, quickly burning down his father's multi-billion-dong house. T made his fortune from drugs, but it was also drugs that stole his son's youth. A 10-year sentence for property destruction might be an opportunity for V to break free from drugs, but will the stigma of being the son of a death row inmate convicted of drug-related crimes give V the strength to rise again after this fall?

I read somewhere that "a father's virtue and reputation are his son's greatest legacy." Sadly, some children are not fortunate enough to inherit this greatest legacy in life!

Khang Hoa