In recent days, information has been circulating on Facebook about a family in Van Xuan commune, Phu Tho province spending 50 million VND to pay a fishing boat worker to bring the bodies of relatives on the Red River home for burial, while the family's circumstances are still difficult.
The information stated that the body of Ms. H.T.H was found by fishing boat workers in the Vinh Thinh bridge area (connecting Vinh Tuong district, the old Vinh Phuc province and the old Son Tay town of Hanoi). Previously, Ms. H was suspected of committing a suicide by jumping into the river and floating into the above area.
Information on social networks has attracted the attention of many people. In particular, many commentators expressed their anger, saying that the request of fishing boat workers to pay 50 million VND was unreasonable and inhumane.
On August 17, the reporter went to meet the victim's mother-in-law - Ms. Nguyen Thi Lien (62 years old, living in Zone 20, Van Xuan Commune) and heard this sad story.
Ms. Lien said that at around 1:30 a.m. on August 13, Ms. H left her house towards Phong Chau pontoon bridge and went missing. After that, the family searched for them but to no avail.
At 2:00 p.m. the same day, the family received a report that some fishermen on the Red River in the Vinh Thinh bridge area had discovered and recovered the body of a woman on the river, so they went to the location to check.
When they arrived, the family had not yet received the body but was asked to rent a boat (for 5 million VND) to search but could not find it. By dawn on August 14, the family was informed by the fishing boats that Ms. H's body had been found and asked to pay 60 million VND to take her body home.
"At 4am that day, after discussing and negotiating the amount of 50 million VND, my family was allowed to bring my daughter-in-law's body back to our hometown" - Ms. Lien choked up as she said.
According to Ms. Lien, Mr. Nguyen Van Linh - Ms. Lien's son and Ms. H's husband passed away in 2021, leaving her alone to raise her two young daughters, N.N.A. (9 years old) and N.P.T. (7 years old). Recently, Ms. H showed signs of depression.
After Ms. H passed away, Ms. Lien moved in with her two grandchildren to conveniently raise and care for them.
According to a leader of Van Xuan Commune People's Committee, the authorities are currently verifying and clarifying the incident. On the morning of August 17, local leaders came to support, visit, express condolences to the family, and at the same time assigned the commune's functional department to guide the family of the two children to complete the procedures to receive funeral fees for the mother and support policies for orphans according to regulations.
