Emotional flight of a father hoping to see his daughter one last time in Nghe An

On April 20, the atmosphere of mourning still enveloped the small house of Mr. Tran Van Hai (47 years old, hamlet 8, Nghi Lam commune, Nghi Loc district). Mr. Hai is the main character in the touching story of a father who lost his child on his first flight, which has been widely shared on social networks over the past 2 days.

"I received many phone calls asking about, encouraging, and sharing. Many people asked for my account number to send incense offerings to my child and treat my other twin. Honestly, I am very grateful for everyone's concern," the father said emotionally, adding that he had never flown before because the airfare was much more expensive than the bus fare, but to be able to see his child one last time, he decided to fly home that day. When he went to the agency, he was instructed to go to the airline to buy it so he could go quickly, and if he bought it through the agency, he would have to wait. Although he only had more than 2 million VND in his pocket at that time, because there were no regular tickets, he had to buy a business class ticket for 2,050,000 VND to return.

Mr. Hai received many calls of sharing and encouragement from people he had never met. Photo: TH

Mr. Hai and his wife gave birth to 3 daughters, Tran Thi Thao and Tran Thi Huyen, who are twins, and later had a 9-year-old child. In 2006, because of the difficult life, when Mr. Hai's twin daughters turned 4 years old, he discussed with his wife to go to Binh Duong to work as factory workers. His wife stayed in the fields and carried bricks for hire to help with the children's education. In 2012, the family had a new member. To make it easier for the mother and children at home, Mr. Hai asked the company to work on Saturdays and Sundays to have more money to send home to his wife and children.

The family planned to send their two eldest daughters to work abroad after finishing 12th grade. However, the accident on the afternoon of April 17th caused the death of Mr. Hai's second daughter. At that time, the two sisters were walking on the N5 road in Nghi Lam, Nghi Loc district when they were suddenly hit by a gas truck that lost control. The accident caused the death of Mr. Hai's second child. The eldest daughter suffered a traumatic brain injury and a broken kneecap and was hospitalized in critical condition. After the accident, the driver's family was very receptive, visited, encouraged the family and took care of the girl who was being treated at the hospital. In particular, the driver who caused the accident is being detained by Nghi Loc district police.

While Mr. Hai was working at a company in Thuan An town, Binh Duong, he received a phone call from his brother-in-law informing him that his twin daughters had been in an accident and one of them had passed away. Upon hearing the news, he left his work and asked the company to let him go home immediately to see his children one last time.

“If I took the bus, I wouldn’t have made it in time. I tried to borrow more than 2 million VND to buy a plane ticket to fly back home on time. The plane didn’t take off until 8:30 pm, but I was already in the waiting room at 5 pm. I felt so sorry for him. He is the most affectionate and loves me the most. Last week, he confided that after finishing grade 12, he would come to me to learn cooking. He would be close to his father and be able to cook for him. But…”, Mr. Hai choked up.

Sitting in the waiting room, Mr. Hai kept crying because he missed and loved his daughter. At that time, a man asked him about it and found out and supported him with 1 million VND. Mr. Hai said absentmindedly: “I just want to go back to my daughter. My daughter is gone. She was only 19 years old.”

Hearing the story, a female passenger in the waiting room supported him with more than 3 million VND to buy a business class ticket to fly back to Vinh 2 hours earlier than his flight so that he could see his daughter one last time.

“Luckily, two airport staff helped me buy tickets in time. Before boarding the plane, they also supported my family with 1.5 million VND. Because I was in such a hurry, I forgot to ask for their phone numbers to thank them. I am very grateful to everyone for helping me during this difficult time,” said Mr. Hai.

Mr. Hai did not have time to see his son's face for the last time. Photo: TH

The touching story was later shared by a staff member at Tan Son Nhat airport's waiting room on social media, making many people unable to hold back their tears. "He told us this was his first time flying, and asked the staff for help. At 5 p.m., he went back to the waiting room reception to ask us for directions to the plane. I told him his flight was past 8 p.m., so he had to wait. His eyes filled with tears: "My daughter is gone, please let me fly early," the staff member wrote.

“Hearing what he said, my colleague and I were silent for a moment. He burst into tears again... everyone around the waiting room was surprised, my colleague and I were confused and tried to stay calm and find every way to support his flight, but this ticket could only be changed, not refunded or changed to another airline. If he wanted to fly earlier, he had to buy another airline. Right at that moment, a female customer in the waiting room came and supported him with the full cost of a new ticket so he could fly as soon as possible…”

At that time, the employee and a colleague at the reception desk urgently split up, one person went to Bamboo Airlines to buy a new ticket because the counter was about to close. The other person ran to reserve the remaining ticket because the counter was also about to close. The two had to work quickly because if they were any slower, they would not be able to do anything according to the airline's rules.

Mr. Hai and his wife fainted many times after their daughter's death. Photo: TH

At nearly 10 p.m. on April 17, Mr. Hai returned home. At that time, Huyen's body had already been embalmed. The accident had left Mr. Hai's daughter's body deformed. Therefore, the family did not dare let Mr. Hai see his daughter in such a state. "The two sisters were like two drops of water, clinging to each other all day. Now one is dead, the other is in the hospital, the room is so cold and empty. Every time I enter her room and see the empty bed, it hurts, it hurts so much I can't breathe," the father burst into tears.

For the past two days, Hai has been busy organizing his son's funeral and taking care of his sick wife who keeps fainting. He has had to rely on the doctor and his uncles and aunts to take care of Thao. The doctor said that the child is out of danger, the external brain injury has been treated well. The broken kneecap is currently being monitored and treated. However, the doctors are also worried that the accident that took his younger brother right before his eyes will leave long-term psychological consequences for the child.