Nghe An: Handing over a woman who had been wandering in China for 19 years to her family

On the morning of November 7, in Vinh City, Nghe An Province Social Work Center handed over Ms. Le Thi Thuy (55 years old, from Bac Nghia Ward, Dong Hoi City, Quang Binh Province) to her relatives after 19 years of wandering in China.

From early morning, 6 relatives of Mrs. Thuy from Quang Binh were present in Vinh City to prepare for the reunion. Mrs. Thuy is the youngest of 6 siblings. Before wandering in China, Mrs. Thuy was a single mother, with a son born in 1994. One day at the end of August 2003, she and her son suddenly left home and disappeared, no one knew where they went. The family then reported to the police but after many days of searching, there were no results. They suspected that the mother and son had been tricked and sold to China.

After 19 years in China, Ms. Thuy no longer remembers much about her homeland. Photo: Tien Hung

Ms. Thuy's brother, Mr. Le Xuan Hoa (56 years old), said that the hope that Ms. Thuy and her daughter were still alive had gradually faded after many years of waiting for news. Until recently, a neighbor of Mr. Hoa saw a picture of Ms. Thuy on social media and informed him. Although they had been separated for nearly 20 years and there were many differences in their faces, it seemed that his intuition told him that it was his sister. Looking at the picture, Mr. Hoa burst into tears like a child. He immediately informed his brothers and sisters.

Ms. Thuy has had a speech impediment since childhood, so she cannot speak clearly. In the moment of reunion with her relatives, Ms. Thuy said that 19 years ago, she was taken to China by a stranger and about a month later, she became the wife of a Chinese man. Her daily work is sewing and housework. She has 2 sons, but she cannot express whether her son born in 1994 named Dung who followed her to China is among them or not.

Mrs. Thuy in the moment of reunion with her sisters. Photo: Tien Hung

Previously, Ms. Thuy was received by the Ly Van Border Guard Station (Cao Bang Province) after China returned her to Vietnam. After returning to Vietnam, Ms. Thuy said that her hometown was Quynh Vinh Commune, Hoang Mai Town, Nghe An Province, so the Ly Van Border Guard Station provided financial support and took a bus to take her to the Nghe An Province Social Work Center.

Here, Ms. Thuy said she was tricked and sold to China in 2003. Recently, Chinese authorities checked her papers and found that she did not meet the residency requirements, so she was sent back to Vietnam. Ms. Thuy only remembers that her father was named Chau, her mother was named Hieu, her sisters were named Hong, Huong, Hoa, and her brother was named Hoa. Based on the information Ms. Thuy provided, officers from the Social Work Center posted it on social media to find Ms. Thuy's identity. After 2 days of sharing the information, relatives recognized Ms. Thuy. However, Ms. Thuy is not from Nghe An but from Dong Hoi City, Quang Binh Province.

Previously, on the afternoon of November 3, Ms. Nguyen Thi Lo (55 years old, from Thinh Loc commune, Loc Ha, Ha Tinh), who had been wandering in China for the past 27 years, was also handed over to her relatives by the Nghe An Provincial Social Work Center. Ms. Lo followed her family to Dak Lak to work in the new economic zone in 1992, and in 1995 she was taken to China. In China, Ms. Lo got married and had 4 children.

Tien Hung