Nguyen The Son - The man facing the past
(Baonghean) -The Director of Golden Light Tourism Joint Stock Company (at 8A 1C1, Thai Van Lung, Ben Nghe Ward, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City) was originally a gangster: Twice in prison, twice in college, a smuggling boss, a robbery boss, his life was almost thrown away.
A person with a “typical Nghe” personality, that is Nguyen The Son, 39 years old, from Cua Nam ward, Vinh city, Nghe An. Recently, he established Huong Thien car wash in his hometown to help his friends who have made mistakes like him.
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Part 1: Fallen Steps
In 1990, at the age of 19, the door to university was slammed shut in Son’s face because the ward chairman refused to confirm his university application. The reason was ridiculous: Son’s father, Mr. Nguyen Van Loi, once known as the “Tire King” of Nghe An, had sued the provincial police for five years, until he met a high-ranking Party leader and the lawsuit was finally settled. Although he was a good student and full of dreams, his path to education was blocked, along with the discrimination in the neighborhood against his entire family, leaving Son with no other choice: to go out!
During those years, the streets of Vinh city were full of dust. Son followed a group of bad teenagers to play around, cause trouble, and fight. Then one day, Son discovered a man who was the father of his school friend, whose house he had always taught him moral lessons, was having sex with a young girl! His trust collapsed, his anger rose, Son rushed in and punched him in the face. Son shouted: “How did you teach me, what are you doing?”… He gave Son’s friends 3,000 VND, asking to be released. The very next day, Son was handcuffed and prosecuted for “extortion of citizens’ property”. That was how Son went to jail!
Nine months later, released from prison, his soul hardened, Son knew he could not live with the discrimination and hatred of the people in the neighborhood, decided to find a way to Lang Son with the hope that the newly opened border gate would give him a chance?
The market train arrived at Hang Co station when Son ran out of money. Stepping down from the platform, Son felt empty, his pockets empty, not knowing where to go, where to return, what to do? On the crowded bus, Son knew that some pickpockets were pressing against him. Son whispered: "You guys go away, I'm also a street person here". And Son saw that they had successfully picked the wallet of an old man sitting at the back of the bus. Having lost his wallet, the old man cried bitterly. In it was a small amount of money he had saved from the countryside for his orphaned granddaughter who was studying at a university in Hanoi. Son jumped down to the station with the pickpockets: "You guys give the old man back his wallet, why don't you take it from the rich people? Don't you hear the old man crying?". The whole gang rushed at Son. A fight broke out. Son pulled out the AK bayonet hidden in his body, pointed it at the leader's neck: "Are you going to give it back?"... The wallet was returned to the unfortunate old man.
But still not knowing where to go, where to return. Too hungry, Son followed the pickpockets, wandering outside the bus station... Knowing that Son was a "monster" from Nghe An, the gang invited Son to join the group to "do business". Son refused: "I thank you for every meal you give me, but I won't do this job anymore!" Son asked to join the cargo loading team at the bus station at the beginning of Long Bien bridge, worked for a few days and had some money, he decided to continue his journey to Lang Son. As soon as he arrived in Lang Son, Son witnessed five young men beating a man. Immediately, Son jumped in to intervene. The victim was injured, in a coma, and was taken to the hospital for emergency treatment by Son. Son took the victim's SK watch to the pawn shop outside the hospital gate for a few hundred thousand dong, brought it in to buy medicine to take care of the victim. Three days later, the victim woke up, he told Son that his name was A., the owner of a smuggling ring from Lang Son to Hanoi. And, of course, Son became a valuable assistant who specialized in escorting and "smuggling" illegal goods for A...
From then on, Son’s life was a series of days of fighting and slashing. On Son’s two arms, I saw dozens of scars slashed horizontally and vertically, and under his left thigh there was a bullet wound. Those were traces left by other smuggling gangs, from dangerous shipments through the forest and across dangerous routes where Son risked his life to earn illegal money. After working for A. for a while, Son separated and established his own smuggling ring, then became a famous smuggling boss in the northern border area…
In 1994, when he had 200 million VND in hand, Son's dream of entering university rose again! Son shook off everything, focused on studying for the exam and passed the entrance exam to Hanoi Law University. Son said: "Do you know why I chose to study law? Because before that, my friend who was a scrap iron trader was wronged in a case, I spent money to hire a lawyer from Hanoi to defend him. I found the legal profession to be meaningful, with the mission of fighting to protect justice for everyone. So I decided to study law...".
Son said: “Back in Hanoi, the first year of school passed peacefully, I participated in most of the school activities. When participating in student football tournaments, I met many new friends, including “Plastic Ball”, whose real name is Tr. “Plastic Ball” often organized football matches, I was a striker who always brought goals so Tr. gave me money to spend. Such money partly quenched the “thirst” for money in student life! Later I found out that “Plastic Ball” was a playboy who spent money like trash. In the second year of school, the friendship between “Plastic Ball” and me became increasingly close, through “Plastic Ball” I made many new friends in Hanoi. In those years, the racing movement took place with increasing scale and intensity. Such races often had 9-10 groups, each group had four racers. Our group participated in all races and quickly became famous in the world of "Hanoi highway heroes", winning all the "awards". At first, I only participated as a back seat rider, but later I refused to be outdone by my "teammates". When performing strange, deadly games with the motorbike such as "wheelie", using my feet to drive, flying the motorbike over obstacles... I always received enthusiastic cheers. To have the arrogance of disregarding one's own life, we all had to use drugs!".
Son’s bad friends often went to nightclubs, “taking drugs” – using ecstasy. Along with such parties, the number of times Son skipped school increased exponentially. The money Son and his family sent him also went up in smoke. One night, Son was arrested by the police at the nightclub, and his text test showed he was positive for drugs. So Son was expelled from school!
Humiliated and humiliated, Son did not dare to return to his hometown, stayed in Hanoi and got deeper and deeper into drugs. Son gathered a group of gangster friends and led a robbery gang. One afternoon, after snatching a gold necklace from a woman, Son was chased by the SBC police. The chase caused chaos on the streets of Hanoi. Despite showing off all his motorbike driving skills, "curb-hugging" turns, swaying and swerving in front of cars, Son was arrested and taken to 16 Thuyen Quang, Hanoi. A 3-year prison sentence was the price Son had to pay for what he had done. But the biggest thing was that Son's dream of going to university was unfulfilled!
On the first day in the detention house, starved for drugs, Son was in pain, struggling like an animal hit by a poisoned arrow! From his bones and marrow, it felt like thousands of maggots were gnawing away, as if someone was using iron pliers to clamp and pull... Son threw himself against the wall of his cell like a madman, wishing he could die.
Transferred to Rehabilitation Camp No. 6, Thanh Chuong District, Nghe An Province, Son completely stopped using drugs, actively reformed, and had his sentence reduced. On the day his prison term ended and he was released, his gang of gangster friends drove up to pick him up, but Son decided to stay. Son told the Warden Phan Le Sen: "Please let me stay a while longer. When I am truly confident and steadfast, I can leave this place." Rehabilitation Camp No. 6 signed a labor contract with Son to drive a material truck for 500,000 VND per month. After that, Son returned to his hometown in Vinh. He had no job, because no place dared to accept a "prisoner". Bored, Son wandered the streets again. By chance, he met an old friend who showed him heroin and a syringe. The sound of the distilled water pipe breaking made Son's eyes dizzy, his mouth dry and bitter, and sweat poured out like a shower. Son screamed and jumped on his motorbike and sped home. Throwing the bike overturned in the middle of the yard, Son jumped on the bed, holding his head and writhing in pain. He cried!
But the tears of regret for the past life still could not overcome the pull of heroin and his old friends. Living in the discrimination and hatred of many people, Son did not know where to turn, and relapsed into addiction…
One day, after snatching a wad of change from an old man’s hand, after being “high on drugs”, Son trudged through the pouring rain. His aimless steps brought him back to his home in Cua Nam ward. There were his parents and his young wife – his loved ones. They still believed that one day Son would change.
It was late at night, Son’s mother coughed softly, the 3-month-old baby cried loudly. Son shivered, his legs almost gave out. Son punched the iron gate with both hands until blood was splattered: “Mom and Dad, I will do it all again!”. Immediately after that were the days when Son struggled to quit his addiction. Until now, I can still see the marks of chains and locks on Son’s ankles, the scars on his calves...
(Part 2: Facing the past to become a good person)
Tran Hoai