Tortured for Attempting to Escape
For the past three days, the home of Mr. Lê Ngọc Xuyên (born 1950), in Thôn 6, Quảng Thái, Quang Xương District, Thanh Hoá Province, has been filled with laughter. Many relatives and neighbors have come to celebrate the reunion of Mr. Xuyên with his long-lost daughter, Ms. Lê Thị Hòa (born 1977), who returned from China after 32 years of separation.
After more than three decades apart, Ms. Hòa, despite struggling with her Vietnamese pronunciation, still clearly remembers the names and ages of her seven siblings. “For over 30 years, I’ve never stopped thinking about my family and hometown. Especially my mother, it’s a shame she passed away before I could return,” Ms. Hòa shared.
Ms. Lê Thị Hòa joyfully reunites with her family after 32 years (Photo: Thanh Tùng).
Ms. Hòa recounted that she is the third child in a family of eight siblings. In 1993, at the age of 16, due to her large family, she was tricked by a neighbor into going to China for work. However, upon arrival, she realized she had been sold to a man 13 years older, in Guangzhou, China.
The years spent as an unwilling wife were described by Ms. Hòa as living in “hell on earth.” She was confined to the house, not allowed to leave, and frequently subjected to beatings by her abusive husband.
“Whenever I thought about my parents and family, he would beat me. Almost every day, I was beaten. Living with him, I was isolated, even not allowed to go out to buy groceries,” Ms. Hòa said.
Ms. Hòa reunites with her father after over 30 years apart (Photo: Thanh Tùng).
Ms. Hòa attempted to escape after one year of marriage but was caught and severely punished. “I ran into the forest and was captured by my husband. He chopped off one joint of my little finger and threatened to cut off my entire hand if I tried to run again. From then on, I never dared to escape,” she said.
After a few years of marriage, Ms. Hòa gave birth to a son. In 2016, her husband passed away, and she lived with her son and two grandchildren. This period marked the beginning of a new life after years of abuse.
Ms. Hòa’s little finger was chopped off by her abusive husband (Photo: Thanh Tùng).
In 2018, Ms. Hòa married a man who was one year older than her, and they have been happily married ever since. “Before we got married, he was single. When he heard about my past, he showed great understanding and love for me. We run a small candy business in a market in Guangzhou. I feel very happy with him,” Ms. Hòa shared.
Celebrating the Miraculous Reunion with Fireworks
Ms. Hòa mentioned that although her current life is happy, she often sought information from acquaintances to find her long-lost family.
“In 2022, I decided to try to contact my family back home. My husband supported me and helped look for ways to reconnect. But since I live in an area with few Vietnamese people, there was no way to reach my family,” Ms. Hòa said.
In late 2024, while delivering goods, Ms. Hòa and her husband met a Vietnamese woman who was a trader buying goods. The woman participated in charitable groups and often helped people like Ms. Hòa find their families.
Ms. Hòa with her family members (Photo: Thanh Tùng).
Through discussions, Ms. Hòa provided the woman with her hometown name, a list of family members, asking her to help find her family. On the fifth day of Tet, the woman and a driver traveled to Thôn 6, Quảng Thái, Quang Xương, to search for Ms. Hòa’s family.
By chance, the kind-hearted woman encountered Mr. Lê Ngọc Hào (born 1975, Ms. Hòa’s brother). After verifying the names of each family member, the woman confirmed that this was indeed Ms. Hòa’s family and called to arrange a meeting.
“When I saw the list of names provided by the woman, I burst into tears with joy. Through a video call, I recognized my sister on the phone. At that moment, our whole family was overwhelmed with happiness,” Mr. Hào said.
After confirming all the information, on the sixth day of the lunar New Year, Mr. Hào and his entire family followed the woman’s instructions to travel to Móng Cái (Quảng Ninh) to welcome Ms. Hòa back.
Mr. Xuyên is moved during the reunion with his long-lost daughter (Photo: Thanh Tùng).
On the seventh day of the lunar New Year, Ms. Hòa and her family arrived at their hometown, Quảng Thái, in a wave of joy. To celebrate the reunion, Mr. Hào and his siblings prepared a feast and invited neighbors to join in the celebration.
“This is a particularly special Tet for our family. After years of searching without any leads, I never expected that after 32 years, we would be reunited. That day, I set off 16 fireworks displays to celebrate. It was undoubtedly the most memorable Tet for our family,” Mr. Hào said.
Looking ahead, Ms. Hòa plans to contact local authorities to obtain identification and related paperwork. Her husband is also processing legal documents to visit her family in Vietnam.
“After my husband visits, we will return to China to continue our lives, but we plan to visit our family once a year. During her stay in Vietnam, my husband missed me and called constantly. He is wonderful, and without him, I wouldn’t have found my family,” Ms. Hòa said.
