Sang and Mi: Rescued before they could be taken out of Vietnam

Sang and Mi screamed and pulled on the door handles. It was too late – they were trapped and unable to contact their families as the car sped towards the international border. But Blue Dragon had already trained people in their village to spot the signs of human trafficking, and their actions meant that all hope was not yet lost…

More than worth it 

Best friends since middle school, Sang and Mi have long shared a dream of lifting their families out of poverty. 

Their parents are farmers, and their entire income relies on harvesting rice. Years when the harvest is good, they can eat; years when the harvest fails, every day turns into a struggle for survival.

Sang dreamed of finishing her education, going to medical school and becoming a doctor. More than anything, she dreamed for her family to be safe and healthy, but their living conditions made this a distant reality.

Regardless of the benefits it would have on their futures, Sang and Mi just loved school life. The nearest school was a three-kilometre walk along treacherous mountain paths, but the joy of learning about the world together made it more than worth it.

Sang studying at school

A gut-wrenching choice

Despite knowing that finishing her education would be more beneficial in the long run, Sang’s family faced urgent problems that they needed to address quickly.

“My grandmother often falls ill. But we don’t have the money to take her to the hospital.” 

Without medical care, Sang feared her grandmother’s health would soon deteriorate beyond hope. She began searching for work opportunities online.

When Sang received a job offer, she knew that she had to share the opportunity with Mi. Both girls then wrestled with a gut-wrenching choice: finish their education or accept the job and care for their families like they’d always dreamed to.

After several sleepless nights, the girls decided to accept.

“I knew that if anyone in my family was going to drop out, it had to be me,” shares Mi. “I wanted my sister to finish school.” 

When Sang and Mi got into the car sent by their new employers, they thought they were following their dreams. Then the driver locked the doors and aggressively demanded their phones. 

Sang and Mi screamed and pulled on the door handles, but it was too late – they were trapped and unable to contact their families as the car sped towards the international border.

“We were so excited at first,” shares Sang. “But then I started to feel scared and confused when the driver demanded our phones. We didn’t have any money and we were so afraid of getting beaten by the driver and we couldn’t contact anyone.”

Rescue

Years before Sang and Mi ever began searching for jobs online, Blue Dragon had set up safety nets within their community that eventually led to their rescue. 

Across Vietnam, we set up Anti-Trafficking Boards run by community leaders. We give them expert insight into the latest anti-human trafficking practices, which they then pass onto their communities through workshops and meetings. 

One important lesson that we teach at Anti-Trafficking Board meetings is how to report suspicious events to the authorities – including sightings of strange vehicles.

When one of Sang and Mi’s neighbours saw the car come to pick them up, he remembered what he’d learnt at the Anti-Trafficking Boards meetings and called the authorities. The police acted swiftly to intercept the car before it reached the border. After they brought Sang and Mi safely home to their parents, they referred the case to Blue Dragon.

Sang and Mi are back in school and back on the road to finishing their education. Both girls are severely traumatised by their ordeal, and they will need a lot of ongoing support to ensure they can thrive. Blue Dragon is providing them with psychological counselling to help them heal and readjust back to normal life.