Stories about children of Chinese descent

Children of mixed heritage

On a late June day, on a small slope in Van Mon village (Yen Hoa commune, Tuong Duong district), nearly 10 children were engrossed in playing. Among them, Lu Lu Lu (5 years old) stood out the most. Unlike the other dark-skinned children in this highland village, Lu Lu had single eyelids and a fair, rosy complexion. In this village, Lu Lu's appearance was completely different from the other children, even her name, because this little girl's father was Chinese.

Lu Lu Lu (in yellow shirt) plays with other children in the village. Photo: Tien Hung.

"Even her name is Chinese," said Lu Lu's grandmother, Lo Thi Ty (41 years old). "I don't know what her father looks like, I only know he's Chinese. He's never been here, and I don't know how old he is."

Lu Lu's mother, Lu Thi Huong Lan (23 years old), is one of thousands of laborers from Tuong Duong who have worked in China. More than seven years ago, like many other young women in Yen Hoa, influenced by friends, Huong Lan pursued her dream of a better life by working illegally in China. After only a short time there, Lan became pregnant with a child by a Chinese man.

Over two years ago, during a rare visit to her hometown, Huong Lan brought along her daughter, who was then not yet three years old. Lan told Mrs. Ty that the child's name in China was Lu Lu, and asked her maternal grandmother to take care of her before leaving again for a long time. The woman later had to register the child's birth with her mother's surname and that Chinese name.

According to a recent survey by the People's Mobilization Committee of Tuong Duong District Party Committee, there are currently more than 50 children under the age of 10 whose fathers are Chinese nationals. Of the 18 communes in the district, 12 have this problem. Most of these children are currently being cared for by their maternal grandparents.

In Yen Na commune alone, there are 10 women who had children with Chinese men and then brought them back to Vietnam to be cared for by relatives. The number in Yen Hoa commune is 8 women, although some have brought back up to two children. Ms. Lo Thi Hoa (34 years old, Dinh Yen village, Yen Hoa commune) is one of them.

Ms. Hoa's two children have a Chinese father in Dinh Yen village. Photo: Pham Bang

“I was hesitant to ask too many questions, so I don’t know who the children’s father is. I only know that their mother works in China and brought them back to raise them,” said Ms. Lo Thi Chanh (47 years old), Hoa’s older sister. For many years, Ms. Chanh has struggled to raise her sister’s two children. One is over 3 years old, and the other can’t even walk yet.

Mrs. Chanh recounted that Hoa had been married before. However, shortly after the wedding, Hoa discovered that her husband was a heavy drug addict. Without money for drugs, the man frequently beat his wife.

“Hoa later left her husband and went to China to make a living. Her previous husband is currently in prison for drug trafficking,” Mrs. Chanh recounted. She also doesn't know what kind of work her sister does abroad. Afraid of upsetting her, she has never once asked why the children's father abandoned them.

Similarly to Mrs. Chanh, Mrs. Lo Thi Ui (60 years old, Xop Mat village, Luong Minh commune) has been raising two grandchildren whose father is Chinese for many years. Mrs. Ui has two daughters, but both grew up working illegally in China. Both daughters subsequently had children with Chinese men. Mrs. Ui's two grandchildren both have very "Chinese" names: Tieu Doanh and Tieu Quyen.

Lo Thi Hoan (31 years old), one of Mrs. Ui's two daughters, was once a beautiful young woman. Previously, Hoan was considered a flower of the forest in the heart of the drug capital. However, after finishing high school, Hoan followed in her older sister's footsteps – going to China to "work in a company."

Hoan's Xop Mat village was once a drug capital, associated with names like "the village without husbands," because most men in the village either went to prison for drug trafficking or died prematurely from addiction or HIV.

Mrs. Ủi believed that in this land, there was nothing she could do to earn money. Therefore, going to China to "work in a factory" was the most viable path to getting rich. However, after many years of working abroad, her two daughters never sent any money back; instead, they sent their children back for her to raise...

The house of Ms. Lo Thi Ui in Luong Minh commune. Photo: Pham Bang

"Regarding Mrs. Ủi's two daughters, the older sister recently returned to Vietnam, bringing a man with her to live in the village. As for the younger sister, I heard she's preparing to have another baby with a Chinese man and will bring it back to her maternal grandmother to raise," said Mr. Vi Đình Phúc, Chairman of the People's Committee of Lượng Minh commune.

Many potential risks exist.

Regarding these cases, Mr. Luong Ba Vin – Head of the Mass Mobilization Department of Tuong Duong District Party Committee – stated that the situation will become more complex in the future, with potential risks of destabilizing national security, social order and safety, and increasing population...

"During the Lunar New Year each year, these unmarried couples often bring their children back to their hometowns to celebrate the holiday with their maternal grandparents, and then leave again. In some cases, they leave the children with relatives, while in others, after registering their household registration, they take their children back to China," Mr. Vin said, adding that there are many reasons for this situation.

Accordingly, some married women, facing a deadlock in their family life due to their husbands' drug addiction, seek to free themselves by going to China to marry. Many others,because life is difficult,Seeking stable, well-paying jobs is a common trend among rural and mountainous workers today, including women.

"Taking advantage of these two reasons, some human traffickers have deceived workers and brokers to send these women to China. Even those who went first have returned to persuade their family members to go with them," Mr. Vin said.

For many years, Ms. Lo Thi Chanh has been struggling to raise her sister's two children. Photo: Tien Hung

Faced with the increasing number of children with Chinese fathers, Xiangyang County has outlined several solutions for the future, such as strengthening state management of household registration, labor, and birth registration for these children at the local level; and detecting and combating those involved in illegal activities.human trafficking,Women, children, labor fraud, and brokers arranging marriages between women and Chinese men are operating in the area.

The entire political system, especially the Vietnam Women's Union, must get involved in disseminating information and mobilizing all segments of the population, in general and women in particular, to not listen to or believe those involved in human trafficking.,Women, girls, labor fraud, brokering women to marry Chinese men.

"Regarding long-term solutions, the central government and local authorities at all levels need to genuinely address this issue, considering it a pressing problem that is emerging, complex, and has the potential to destabilize security, order, and social safety," said Mr. Luong Ba Vin.