In January 2021, a H’mong father, Dà, allowed their daughter, Dính, 16, to go to China to find a job in a doll factory with an uncle and their niece, Kha. On their move, the three got into an altercation with strangers; the uncle hit them, then resulted in his imprisonment, and left the two girls abandoned in a strange land. 

Weeks later, Dính and Kha were separated by men who took them to work as domestic servants for two different Chinese families. 

Since the family whom Kha served did not like her, she was asked to leave their household, which allowed her to return to Vietnam. But no one heard about Dính’s whereabouts. 

 At home, Dà had another daughter, Mây (Hoa's younger sister, 13). She quit school in 3rd grade. They worry that the potential trafficking can take her away.

Human trafficking has been a long-standing problem in Vietnam for the last 15 years. Non-governmental organization Blue Dragon Children’s Foundation estimated about 60% of the victims and traffickers come from Vietnamese minority groups in 2021. 

Last May 2023, Blue Dragon called for emergency appeals after receiving more calls for help from victims. 

*Name is changed to protect the privacy.