The journey of rehabilitation of a couple who fell into drug addiction

(Baonghean.vn) - Once trusted by the villagers to be elected as village chief, however, unable to resist the magic of the "brown fairy", the husband "paved the way" for both husband and wife to be in trouble with the law. After 10 years of leaving the prison, with the determination to reform and rebuild their lives, they have become a model for economic development in the locality.

Coming to Dong Ha hamlet, Dong Hieu commune, Thai Hoa town, talking to the couple Pham Duc Chung (born in 1969) and Kiem Thi Hue (born in 1972), many people expressed their admiration for the extraordinary willpower of the couple. From falling into the dark mud of sin, the two rose up, stood up after falling and became exemplary citizens, trusted, admired by the people and recognized by the authorities at all levels.

Young couple and life's turn

Born into a farming family, at the age of 19, Pham Duc Chung joined the army and was stationed in Anh Son. Three years later, Chung left his hometown to go to Phu Quy to make a living.

The land Chung chose to make a living was Tan Hop commune, Tan Ky district. In the new land, Chung found his other half. She was Kiem Thi Hue, a beautiful and virtuous village girl.

According to Chung, Hue was the person who changed his life. Even when he was in prison, she was the motivation for him to strive and reform himself to return to his family and society sooner than his sentence.

Mr. Pham Duc Chung

Back to the early days of the young couple's career, thanks to their hard-working and diligent nature, Chung and Hue quickly built a spacious house for themselves. Chung was also elected by the villagers as the village chief.

However, Chung’s downfall also started from his being a “village cadre”. At that time, Phu Quy area was bustling with gold mining and red stone exploitation. Dozens of mine owners and gold miners from all over flocked here.

With his position and prestige, Chung quickly became a “big shot” with the mine owners and their seniors in the area. Gradually, from a simple farmer, Chung was assimilated by the tricks of the gangsters in the area, and then, without knowing when, he “joined the gang” in the underground world of the mine area and became brothers with the gangsters there.

“After being persuaded by the big brothers many times, I agreed to join the drug trafficking ring. From a hired carrier, I quickly changed my position and became the drug “boss” of this large area. Blinded by money, I blindly dragged my wife into the ring to become the key link in the chain I created,” Chung recounted.

After operating underground for a while, the drug ring run by Pham Duc Chung and his wife was dismantled. That was around the end of November 2005, when the couple was caught red-handed while transporting “goods” for sale. Not long after, both were sentenced by the court, with Chung receiving a 7-year prison sentence and his wife Hue receiving a 4-year prison sentence. In trouble with the law, the couple left behind two small, helpless children with no one to take care of them.

Journey of recovery

At first, at Prison No. 6 (Ministry of Public Security), Pham Duc Chung appeared indifferent, but after realizing his wrongdoings, and always thinking about his two young children, Chung reformed himself to be released soon and return to start his life over.

Thanks to her good rehabilitation record, Chung's sentence was reduced every year, and in November 2012, Chung was released from prison early. Before that, also with a strong desire to reform, Ms. Kiem Thi Hue worked hard to reform and had her sentence reduced to 27 months in prison.

“When we returned, the thing that both my husband and I were most heartbroken and regretful about was that both of our children had to drop out of school to make a living,” Ms. Hue shared. The couple chose a piece of land in Dong Ha hamlet, Dong Hieu commune, Thai Hoa town to rebuild their lives from scratch. At that time, the family’s only asset was a broken-down bicycle that their grandmother gave them, plus 500,000 VND as capital.

In addition to creating a clean pork brand, Ms. Hue also raises chickens and ducks to increase her income.

The difficult days gradually passed, many people gradually understood and shared, sympathized, began to accept and support her with bunches of vegetables and kilos of meat. Life became less difficult when an uncle helped by lending her money to buy a motorbike as a means of livelihood. By 2012, Ms. Hue had saved more than 200 million, borrowed another 100 million, and was able to build a spacious house.

At the end of that year, Mr. Pham Duc Chung finished his prison term and returned home, which was also the time when his daughter got married. With the support of his wife, the timely and constant encouragement of the local government and neighbors, Mr. Chung overcame his inferiority complex and the temptations of those who had previously lured him into depravity. He decided to reform by starting a business raising and selling clean pork products to serve the needs of the people in the area.

The daily work of both husband and wife is to raise clean pigs and chickens, slaughtering pigs early in the morning and then selling them at the market. Currently, the couple is saving money to expand the farm, moving towards building a brand of clean pork for their family. Talking about the future, Mr. Chung and Ms. Hue shared: "Currently, with the trust of customers, both my husband and I are determined to build a clean meat brand with the main products being pork and hill chicken."

Raising cows is also bringing a good income for Mr. Chung's family now.

Mr. Pham Van Thanh, Head of Dong Hieu Commune Police, said: "Not only are they good at doing business with the clean food brand, Chung and Hue also participate in social activities of the hamlet and commune, becoming a typical example of reform and economic development./.

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