Nguyen The Son - A man who confronts the past
(Baonghean)The director of Golden Light Tourism Joint Stock Company (located at 8A 1C1, Thai Van Lung Street, Ben Nghe Ward, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City) was once a notorious gangster: twice imprisoned, twice attending university, a smuggling ringleader, a robbery kingpin, his life almost thrown away.
One person with a distinctly Nghe An character is Nguyen The Son, 39 years old, from Cua Nam ward, Vinh city, Nghe An province. Recently, he established a charitable car wash in his hometown to help friends who had made the same mistakes as himself.
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Part 1: The Steps of Downfall
In 1990, at the age of 19, the door to university slammed shut in front of Son because the ward chairman refused to certify his application for university admission. The reason was absurd: Son's father, Nguyen Van Loi, once known as the "King of Tires" in Nghe An province, had been suing the provincial police for five years, until he met a high-ranking Party leader, at which point the case finally ended. A bright student with dreams, but his educational path blocked, coupled with the discrimination from his entire family in the neighborhood, left Son with no other choice: to leave the streets!
In those years, the streets of Vinh city were full of dust. Son hung out with a group of delinquent teenagers, engaging in reckless behavior, vandalism, and fights. Then one day, Son discovered that the father of a classmate, the very man Son had always listened to whenever he visited, was having an affair with a young woman! His trust shattered, and resentment surged within him. Son lunged at him and punched him in the face with tremendous force. Son shouted, "What did you teach me? What are you doing now?"… The man gave Son's friends 3,000 dong, begging for mercy. The very next day, Son was handcuffed and prosecuted for "extortion of a citizen's property." That's how Son ended up in prison!
Nine months later, released from prison, his heart hardened, Son knew he couldn't live with the discrimination and hatred of the people in his neighborhood. He decided to find his way to Lang Son, hoping that the newly opened border crossing would offer him a chance.
When the local train reached Hang Co station, Son ran out of money. Stepping off the train, Son felt empty inside, his pockets empty, not knowing where to go, what to do. On the crowded bus, Son noticed several pickpockets approaching him. He whispered, "Get lost, I'm just a vagabond too." He saw them successfully pickpocket an old man sitting at the back of the bus. The old man wept bitterly. Inside was a small sum of money he had saved from his hometown for his orphaned granddaughter studying at university in Hanoi. Son jumped off the bus with the pickpockets: "Give the old man back his wallet! Why didn't you take it from someone better off, someone rich? Don't you hear the old man crying?" They all attacked Son. A fight ensued. Son pulled out the bayonet from his AK rifle, hidden on his person, and held it to the neck of the ring leader: "Are you going to give it back or not?"… The wallet was returned to the unfortunate old man.
But still not knowing where to go or what to do. So hungry, Son followed the pickpockets again, wandering around the bus station… Knowing Son was a "rascal" from Nghe An, the street thugs tried to get him to join their gang for "business." Son refused: "I'll thank you for any meal you give me, but I'm not doing this anymore!" Son applied to work as a cargo handler at the Long Bien bridge bus station. After working for a few days and earning some money, he decided to continue his journey to Lang Son. As soon as he arrived in Lang Son, Son witnessed five young men brutally beating a man. Immediately, Son intervened. The victim was injured and unconscious, and Son took him to the hospital for emergency treatment. Son took the victim's SK watch and pawned it at a shop outside the hospital for a few hundred thousand dong, which he used to buy medicine for the victim. Three days later, the victim woke up and told Son his name was A., the owner of a smuggling ring that transported goods from Lang Son to Hanoi. And, naturally, Son became A's invaluable assistant, constantly transporting and smuggling goods.
From then on, Son's life became a series of struggles and violent clashes. On his arms, I saw dozens of crisscrossing scars, and a bullet wound ran through his left thigh. These were the marks left by other smuggling gangs, by the treacherous journeys through the jungle and across dangerous routes where Son risked his life to earn ill-gotten gains. After working for A. for a while, Son broke away to establish his own smuggling ring, and then became a notorious smuggling kingpin in the northern border region…
In 1994, with 200 million dong in hand, Son's dream of entering university resurfaced! Son abandoned everything, focused on studying for the entrance exam, and was admitted to Hanoi Law University. Son said: “Do you know why I chose law school? Because before that, my friend, a scrap metal dealer, suffered injustice in a case, and I paid a lawyer from Hanoi to defend him. I saw that the legal profession is truly meaningful, carrying the mission of fighting to protect justice for everyone. So I decided to study law…”
Son recounted: “Back in Hanoi, my first year of university passed peacefully and uneventfully. I participated in almost all school activities. While playing in student football tournaments, I made many new friends, including “Plastic Ball,” whose real name was Tr. “Plastic Ball” often organized gambling matches, and I was a striker who always scored goals, so Tr. gave me money to spend. That money somewhat relieved my student life’s ‘thirst’ for money! Later, I learned that “Plastic Ball” was a spoiled playboy who spent money like water. In my second year, our friendship grew stronger, and through “Plastic Ball,” I made many new friends in Hanoi. During those years, the street racing movement grew in scale and intensity. These races usually involved 9-10 groups, each with four racers. Our group participated in all the races and quickly became famous in the community.” "The 'Highway Heroes of Hanoi,' sweeping all the 'awards.' Initially, I only participated as a passenger, but later I refused to be outdone by my 'teammates.' When performing bizarre, deadly stunts on the motorbike like wheelies, steering with my feet, and flying over obstacles... I always received enthusiastic cheers. To achieve this reckless disregard for our own lives, we all had to use drugs!"
Son's delinquent friends often frequented nightclubs, "doing drugs"—using ecstasy. Along with these wild parties, Son's number of truancy visits increased exponentially. His money, and the money his family sent him, also vanished into thin air. One night, Son was arrested by the police at a nightclub, and a drug test came back positive. As a result, Son was expelled from school!
Humiliated and ashamed, Son didn't dare return to his hometown, staying in Hanoi and sinking deeper into drug addiction. He gathered a gang of thugs and led a robbery gang. One afternoon, after snatching a gold necklace from a woman, Son was chased by the Special Crime Unit (SBC). The chase caused chaos on the streets of Hanoi. Despite showcasing his motorcycle skills, including skillful cornering, swerving, and weaving through cars, Son was caught and taken to 16 Thuyen Quang Street, Hanoi. A three-year prison sentence was the price Son had to pay for his actions. But more importantly, his dream of attending university was shattered!
On his first day in detention, deprived of his medication, Son was in agonizing pain, writhing like an animal struck by a poisoned arrow! It felt as if thousands of maggots and insects were gnawing at his bones and marrow, as if someone were using iron pliers to pinch and tear at him... Son slammed his head against the cell wall like a madman, hoping to die.
Transferred to Correctional Camp No. 6 in Thanh Chuong District, Nghe An Province, Son completely quit drugs, actively reformed himself, and received a reduced sentence. On the day his sentence ended and he was released, his gang friends came to pick him up in a car, but Son decided to stay. Son told Chief Warden Phan Le Sen: "Uncle, please let me stay a little longer. Only when I am truly confident and stable can I leave this place." Son was given a labor contract by Correctional Camp No. 6 to drive a material transport vehicle for 500,000 dong per month. Afterwards, Son returned to his hometown in Vinh. Unable to find work, as no place dared to hire a "former prisoner," he became depressed and wandered the streets. By chance, he met an old friend who offered him heroin and a syringe. The sound of the broken vial of distilled water made Son's vision blur, his mouth dry and bitter, and sweat poured down like a shower. Son screamed and jumped on his motorbike, speeding home. Leaving the overturned car lying in the yard, Son rushed to his bed, clutching his head and writhing in agony. He cried!
But tears of regret for his past life couldn't overcome the allure of heroin and his old friends. Living amidst the stigma and hatred of many, Son didn't know where to turn and relapsed into addiction…
One day, after snatching a wad of loose change from an old man and feeling the effects of drugs, Son wandered aimlessly through the pouring rain. His aimless steps led him back to his home in Cua Nam ward. There, he lived with his parents and his young wife – his loved ones. They still believed that one day Son would change.
It was late at night, the sound of Son's mother coughing softly, the wailing cries of their three-month-old child. Son shuddered, his legs giving way. He punched the iron gate until blood spurted: "Mom and Dad, I'll start over!" Immediately following were the agonizing days of Son's rehabilitation. Even now, I can still see the scars left by the chains and locks on his ankles and calves...
(Part 2: Confronting the past to become a good person)
Tran Hoai
