For money, a local man in Nghe An sells his wife abroad.
Although he was living as husband and wife with Ms. T., when he heard his friend asking him to find a woman to sell to China, a local man in Nghe An planned to trick and sell his lover for 15 million VND.
On August 8, Nghe An Provincial People's Court opened the first instance trial of defendants Moong Van Chuyen (born 1988), residing in Chieu Luu commune, Ky Son district, and Luong Pho Tam (born 1990), residing in Bao Nam commune, Ky Son district, for the crime of "Human trafficking".
The incident happened in 2012, when Luong Pho Tam and Ms. LMT (born in 1993, living in the same locality) were in a relationship and living together as husband and wife.
Around May 2012, Moong Van Chuyen asked Tam to find women to sell to China for spending money. Tam immediately thought of his girlfriend he was living with and tried to trick her into selling them.
Tam lied to Ms. T. that he had found a job in China with a high salary, and that if she agreed to go, she would be paid 9 million VND in advance. Tam also promised Ms. T. that she would work for about 3 years and then get married when she returned.
At this time, Ms. T. asked for 100 million VND to agree to work, so Tam pretended to call someone. After that, Tam came back and told Ms. T. that they had agreed.
Then, Chuyen and Tam took Ms. T. to the border area of Quang Ninh province and crossed the border to China. In a foreign country, Ms. T. was sold by Kham (whose identity and background have not been determined) to a Chinese man to marry.
Kham gave 20 million VND in commission to Chuyen. With that amount, Chuyen gave Tam 15 million VND, and pocketed 5 million VND himself.
As for the victim, after 12 years of being tricked and sold, she escaped back to Vietnam in early 2024. She then filed a complaint against Luong Pho Tam and Moong Van Chuyen with the police.
At the trial, the two defendants admitted to their crimes. Both said that they colluded to trick Ms. T. into going to China for money.
Attending the court, the victim recounted her miserable life, being physically and mentally abused in a foreign country. Ms. T. requested the panel of judges to severely punish her husband’s actions, and at the same time requested Luong Pho Tam to pay 50 million VND in compensation.
For defendant Chuyen, the victim requested compensation of 20 million VND and asked for a reduced sentence for this defendant.
The panel of judges determined that the actions of the two defendants directly violated the freedom, honor, and dignity of citizens protected by law, negatively affecting the fine customs and traditions of Vietnamese women. The two defendants had full criminal capacity and were fully aware that their actions were wrong, but for personal gain they disregarded the law and must be severely punished.
Considering the case as a whole, the panel sentenced Moong Van Chuyen and Luong Pho Tam each to 7 years in prison for the crime of "Human trafficking".
