14 years of wandering of a young woman tricked and sold to be a wife in a foreign land

(Baonghean.vn)- At the age of 12, because of her naivety, Tran Thi Thu (born in 1990), residing in Que Son commune, Que Phong district, was tricked and sold to China. After 14 years of being a foreign wife, although she could no longer speak Vietnamese, Thu was lucky to find her way back and reunite with her relatives.

14 years of wandering.

One afternoon in the spring of 2002, on her way home from school, Thu met a woman who invited her to eat pho. Being from a poor family, pho was a luxury dish for Thu that she had only heard of but never tasted. Being hungry and being invited, Thu followed the woman without any suspicion.

After being fed, the strange woman took Thu to a car, then a boat, and traveled for many days before handing Thu over to a strange man. The woman received a large sum of money and then coldly left, leaving her to cry and beg. In a foreign land, hearing people talking to each other in a "strange" language, Thu thought she was lost. Only later, when she understood their language, did she vaguely realize that she had been tricked and sold to China.

Ms. Tran Thi Thu on the day she returned to her hometown in Que Son commune, Que Phong district.

Having to get married at the age of 12, Thu's husband was only one year older than her, did not go to school, and spent all day playing video games. Her husband's family was also poor, they were afraid that when their child grew up, he would not have enough money to marry a local woman according to local customs, so they bought Thu and gradually raised her as a wife. Despite being a wife, Thu was no different from a child working for someone else's family. Every day, she had to go with her parents-in-law to the fields to plant corn and pick tea. At mealtimes, she hurried home to cook, clean, and do laundry for her husband's family.

Being alone in a foreign land, without relatives, without language, working day and night, and being constantly scolded and beaten by her husband's family when she disobeyed, made Thu feel like a soulless shadow. At night, the pain of missing her family made her cry silently, hoping for a chance to return home and find her family again.

“It was only when I gave birth to a child for my husband’s family that they saw me as a human being. They loved my son and treated me better. I no longer had to work hard, nor was I cursed or beaten as much as before,” Ms. Thu shared.

When her son was 4 years old, she realized that her husband's family was no longer as strict as before, so Thu expressed her desire to return to her homeland and find her family. In mid-May 2016, her happiness exploded when her husband allowed her to return to her homeland for 10 days without taking her child with her. Wiping away her tears, she packed her bags and returned home after 14 years of wandering.

Happy return day.

When she packed her bags and returned to her family when she could no longer speak Vietnamese, Thu could not believe that she was so lucky to see her family again after 14 years apart. To understand what her child said, Ms. Nguyen Thi Minh (58 years old, Thu's mother) had to ask some neighbors who knew Chinese to "translate". Currently, even though she is sitting at the same table with her family for a reunion dinner, Thu still thinks it is a dream.

Ms. Thu recalls: “At that time, when I realized that I had been tricked and sold by a bad person, I was afraid that if I stayed in a foreign land for a long time, I would forget my mother tongue, so I took a piece of paper, wrote down my parents' names and hometown, put it in a plastic bag, tied it tightly, and buried it under a tree in my husband's garden. I hoped that one day I would have the chance to take the piece of paper and return to my homeland.”

Mrs. Minh happily recounted the day she met her daughter again after 14 years of missing.

Holding her daughter’s hands tightly, Mrs. Minh said. She and her husband had 5 daughters, Thu was the youngest and also the luckiest one to go to school. At that time, in the village, there were many women and children who were tricked and sold to China. After many days of searching without any news, Mrs. Minh had to hold back her tears when she thought her daughter was a victim of human trafficking. Later, because of struggling to make a living, she no longer hoped for her daughter to return. She still prayed that wherever she was, her daughter would be safe.

“I never thought in my dreams that I would see my daughter again like this. I have fulfilled my husband’s last wish. Seeing my daughter still healthy, having a family and children like this makes me feel at ease.” Wiping away her tears, Mrs. Minh happily shared.

After reuniting with her family, Thu called her husband to ask for permission to stay in her hometown for a while. After the time limit, she returned to her foreign country. Whether she wanted to or not, she had to stay there, and considered it her second home because she had a young child.

Sharing the incident, Mr. Sam Le Luong - Head of Que Son Commune Police said: "In the locality, there are many women and children missing, suspected of being tricked and sold to China. Ms. Thu is one of the lucky cases to return home. Her family reported to the locality, the authorities created conditions for her to complete administrative procedures such as making identity cards, importing..."

Hoang Hai