A young woman from a mountainous region, born in the 1990s, led a child trafficking ring that sold children to China.

(Baonghean.vn) - Vi Thi Loan looked more like a high school student than a defendant standing before the dock, dressed in a white shirt, jeans, and sandals. Driven by greed, this single mother heartlessly exploited the innocence and naivety of a 15-year-old girl to make illicit money.

To be fair, Loan, born in 1992 (residing in Cam Lam commune, Con Cuong district), is quite pretty and knows how to dress to accentuate her slim, well-proportioned figure and fair complexion. Born and raised in a poor commune in a mountainous district, her time spent in China has "washed away" all the rustic charm of this mountain girl.

Having only studied until the 9th grade and then dropping out, with no job opportunities in her hometown, Vi Thi Loan followed her friends across the border to China to seek her fortune. Loan said she went there to work as a factory worker, but the work was arduous and the income was low, so she wasn't keen on staying. During her time in China, Loan met a woman named Hien (whose specific identity is unknown).

The two often chatted and confided in each other on Zalo. Tired of the "promised land," Loan left and returned to her hometown to get married. Loan's husband is from Van Mon village, Yen Hoa commune, Tuong Duong district. In her husband's hometown, Loan quickly became acquainted with and close to Vi Thi Nhung (born in 1987), who lived in the same village.

Vi Thi Loan at the trial

Even after getting married, Loan maintained her habit of chatting with Hien on Zalo. One time, Hien suggested that Loan look for pretty girls and find a way to sell them to China. Currently, people there are buying young girls to be wives at very high prices, up to hundreds of millions of dong. Loan confided this to Nhung and asked Nhung to keep an eye out for girls who might be interested in going to China so Loan could "help" them.

One day, Nhung called to inform her that La Thi Mien (the victim's name has been changed – PV), residing in Xa Luong commune, Tuong Duong district, was angry with her parents and intended to go to China to marry. Mien was the cousin of Xeo Van Thong (born in 1992, residing in the same village as Nhung). Thong had asked Kha Van Nguyen (born in 1967, deputy head of Van Mon village and police officer of the village) to take Mien to China on the condition that Thong be paid 130 million VND. Nguyen informed Nhung.

After seeing Mien, Nhung agreed to the price Thong asked for. Nhung took a picture of Mien and sent it to Loan. Loan "assessed" her and then quoted a price of 100 million dong, promising to pay Nhung and Nguyen 10 million dong each as a commission. Thong agreed to sell his cousin for 100 million dong.

On June 15, 2015, Vi Thi Loan took Mien to Vinh City and then took a bus to Mong Cai (Quang Ninh) before crossing the border illegally into China. Loan handed Mien over to Hien. Hien sold Mien to a Chinese man for 70,000 yuan (approximately 300 million VND), giving Loan half of the money.

After selling Mien, Loan quickly returned to Vietnam, unaware that just over 10 days later, Mien was rescued by Chinese police and returned to Vietnam. At the time she was sold to China, La Thi Mien was only 15 years, 9 months, and 4 days old. Upon returning to Vietnam, Mien wrote a complaint against Loan, Thong, Nhung, and Nguyen to the police. Loan and her accomplices were subsequently arrested. Because she was raising a young child, Loan was released on bail pending trial.

During the trial, while the other defendants confessed honestly and showed remorse, Loan remained indifferent in answering the presiding judge's questions. After the "deal" was completed, Loan did not pay Thong, Nhung, and Nguyen as previously agreed. "Mien ran away, and people came to demand money from Hien. Hien threatened to report me to the police if I didn't return the money. I was scared, so I returned the money to Hien," Loan explained.

However, Loan's explanation failed to convince the court. The presiding judge stated that there was no evidence to show that Loan had returned the money to Hien, and that the defendant might have kept the money for personal use. "Did you know that buying and selling children is against the law?" the judge asked. Loan replied, "Yes." "If you knew, why did you still sell Mien to China?" the judge continued. Loan remained silent and did not answer. She even refused to make a final statement before the court adjourned to deliberate. During the investigation, Vi Thi Loan confessed to committing two other human trafficking cases, but at the trial, she denied these allegations.

The lawyer representing the victim stated that after being rescued and returned to Vietnam, La Thi Mien suffered severe psychological trauma. She is currently receiving psychological treatment at a center supporting women and girls who are victims of human trafficking. “Fortunately, the victim did not contract any infectious diseases that victims sold to China often suffer from. She is currently receiving psychological treatment, but her future is very difficult. The defendants exploited the girl's innocence, gullibility, and lack of legal knowledge to conspire and make illicit money.” Loan remained silent as she listened to the lawyer's indictment.

The court determined that Loan was the one who directly transported the victims to China to sell them to Hien; therefore, Loan bears primary responsibility in the case. Loan and her accomplices' actions were extremely dangerous, violating the right of children to care and protection, causing negative public opinion, and destabilizing public order and security. It is necessary to isolate the defendants from society for a sufficiently long period to demonstrate the strictness of the law. Considering the circumstances, the court sentenced Vi Thi Loan to 10 years in prison. The remaining three defendants were sentenced to between 4 and 6 years in prison. In addition, Loan and her accomplices must each compensate the victims 15 million VND.

Leaving the courtroom with a 10-year prison sentence, Vi Thi Loan showed not the slightest emotion. It seemed that, for this mountain girl, those 10 years of her youth meant little.

Nhu Binh