Another woman returns after 17 years of being sold to China
(Baonghean.vn) - While looking for a job, trusting the advice of bad people, Ms. Pham Thi Hang (born in 1983) in Yen Xuan village, Vo Liet commune, Thanh Chuong district was sold to China and 17 years later, she had the opportunity to return to her homeland.
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| Neighbors came to share joy with Mrs. Phai's family. Photo: Huy Thu |
Ms. Hang is the fourth child in a family of five children. In 2001, while in high school, she followed the advice of a friend in the neighborhood and dropped out of school to work in Vinh and then to Hanoi. Not long after, both of them were taken to Lang Son and sold to China.
After losing contact with her daughter, Mrs. Phai's family tried every possible way to find her, but to no avail. For the past 17 years, Mrs. Phai and her other children still hoped that one day Hang would return. In mid-2017, her family suddenly received information from a man in the North, informing them that her daughter was still alive and in China.
Nearly a year later, after many contacts with her family, in mid-July 2018, Ms. Hang was able to return to Vietnam.
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| The joy of Ms. Hang and her mother after 17 years of reunion. Photo: Huy Thu |
When she first returned, she still recognized her mother, siblings, relatives and neighbors, only the languages were different. She had difficulty speaking Vietnamese and understanding, when she first got off the bus, she had to "act" each word and "couldn't find the words" to say. After 17 years of separation, when she returned, her father had long passed away, and Mrs. Phai had suffered a stroke for 7 years now, her health was poor, and she was living alone.
Ms. Hang said that after being sold to China, a man working as a construction worker in Wuhan City, Hebei Province married her. The couple lived together for more than ten years but had no children, and are currently raising two adopted children (a 12-year-old boy and an 11-year-old girl). Every day, her job is to cook, take her children to school, and take care of her elderly parents-in-law. Her husband's family does not allow her to go far. It has been 3 years since she has been able to use a smartphone to contact people.
She was able to return to Vietnam thanks to connecting with a Vietnamese person who often traveled to China, then caught a broker who took her across the border for a fee of 5 million VND. Her husband's family agreed to let her return home and gave her a certain amount of money to spend and cover expenses. When she returned to Vietnam, every time she made a video call to China via Zalo, the mother and children cried.
Hearing that Hang had returned, her siblings who lived far away also came home to gather. Ms. Phai, Hang's mother, said: "After more than ten years of waiting, today she has returned. Her father has passed away and only her mother remains, but the whole family is very happy." According to Ms. Phai, Hang's family kept her at home this time: "Brothers and relatives all advised her not to go to China anymore, why go and work so hard, at home her mother lives alone. Although I feel sorry for my adopted children, I think she won't go anymore."
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| The joy of mother and children, sisters of Ms. Hang gathering every day. Photo: Huy Thu |
Mr. Bui Xuan Linh - Chairman of the People's Committee of Vo Liet Commune said: After returning to her hometown, Ms. Hang presented herself to the commune committee. The commune also advised and helped Ms. Hang with the necessary paperwork procedures. Specifically, on July 16, her name was restored in the family register.
Thus, in Yen Xuan village, Vo Liet commune, in the past 2 months, 2 women have returned home after 17 years of being sold to China. Previously, on May 14, Ms. Hoang Thi Yen (35 years old, sold as a wife in Fujian province) also returned home with her 2 children to the surprise of many people. After staying at home for nearly 1 month, now Ms. Yen and her children have gone to China.
