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“I once believed in promises of a wealthy and comfortable life if I married a Chinese man. But in reality, I was sold as a wife to a man 20 years older, living in poverty in a mountainous area,” shared Do, a trafficking survivor in Pacific Links Foundation’s Reintegration program.

For years, Do endured hardship and the crushing weight of false promises. When she finally returned to Vietnam, she faced a daunting reality—she had no means to support herself and was unable to read or write. But she was determined to reclaim her life.

While staying at Pacific Links Foundation’s Compassion House, Do received nourishing meals, medical care, legal assistance, and most importantly, the opportunity to learn. Through literacy classes, she gained the ability to read and write in Vietnamese—an essential step toward self-sufficiency.

Armed with new skills and renewed confidence, she secured a job at a factory in Bac Ninh, marking the beginning of her journey to independence.

Her story is a testament to the transformative power of education, and the importance of support systems that empower survivors to reclaim their dignity and dreams.

For more than 20 years, Van, lived in a foreign land, sold and trapped as a wife in China. Time erased the details of her past; she no longer remembered her family’s address, and her mother tongue had become unfamiliar.

When Van finally returned home to Vietnam, she only carried fragments of memories. Alone and disconnected, she faced an uncertain future—until Pacific Links Foundation stepped in. With patience and determination, we worked tirelessly to piece together her past while she stayed at our Compassion House, reaching out to local authorities and the police in the hopes of reuniting her with her family.

With the little information Van could recall, we posted her story in community groups, hoping that someone would recognize her. Then, in a single afternoon, a miracle happened—a neighbor saw the message and contacted her family. A call was made, and in an emotional moment of joy and disbelief, Van was reunited with the family she had lost for over two decades.

Our support did not end there, we provided travel support so she could make her way home, as a survivor reclaiming her life.

Van’s story is a testament to the power of resilience and community. Her journey home was long, but with hope and the right support, she found her way back to the family who never stopped waiting for her.

Dua was only 14 when her world took a drastic turn. An ethnic H’Mong girl with dreams of opening her own beauty salon, she never imagined that someone she trusted—her sister-in-law—would traffick her across the border to China. She was sold as a wife for 50,000 yuan, eventually bearing two children with a man she was forced to marry. For 13 years, Dua never stopped yearning for home. Then, one day, Dua found a way back to Vietnam.

Returning home was bittersweet. She was home, yet she felt incomplete—her children remained in China. Dua shared, “I feel lucky to be back with my family, but I miss my children so much!”. At Pacific Links Foundation’s Compassion House, Dua found a chance to heal and rebuild. Before being trafficked, she had envisioned a future where she would own a beauty salon. But after years in China, that dream seemed out of reach.

With the support of the Reintegration Program, Dua took her first steps toward reclaiming her life. She enrolled in vocational training, taking facial classes that reignited her passion. Three months later, she secured a job at a spa in Lao Cai, her hands shaping beauty and her own destiny.

Dua knows her journey is far from over. Every day, she works diligently, gaining experience, and saving to open her own spa, just as she had once envisioned as a young girl. And though her heart aches for the children she left behind, she clings to hope. One day, she dreams of reuniting with them, not as a victim, but as a trafficking survivor.

Dua’s story is a testament to resilience, the power of second chances, and the unwavering strength of a woman determined to reclaim her life.