Runaway Vietnamese Wives: Chinese Husbands Search for Missing Spouses

Runaway Vietnamese Wives: Chinese Husbands Search for Missing Spouses
Mar 06, 2013 By eChinacities.com

Editor’s note: This article was translated and edited from a piece that appeared on Wenxuecity.com. The article looks at the story of three Vietnamese wives who suddenly ran away from their Chinese husbands on the same day, taking their babies with them. The article looks at what the husbands plan to do next amid the fiasco, as well as the worrying reoccurrences of similar incidents of “runaway Vietnamese wives” across China.

A Gui, A Zhong, and A Guang are all locals of Fujian’s Yongding County who recently borrowed money from friends to “marry” Vietnamese wives. On the morning of February 20, A Zhen, the wife of A Gui, went out with their child and a small bag, telling the family that she was going into town with her friends, wives A Lan and A Hong, to buy some baby supplies. At around four o’clock that afternoon, A Gui noticed it was getting cold, and decided to get up and put some extra clothing on the baby to keep it warm. It was then that he noticed that A Zhen and the baby weren’t home yet. He tried calling A Zhen’s mobile, but there was no answer.

“Often met to go shopping together”

A Zhen, A Lan, and A Hong, who are all from Vietnam, moved to Yongding County in Fujian with their soon-to-be husbands in 2010. A Zhen managed to get her marriage certificate in 2011, when her and A Gui’s baby was around one week old. The three Vietnamese ladies often met to go shopping together, though were usually back at home around noon. A Gui assumed that the three ladies were having fun and simply forgot about the time, though after calling the husbands of the other two ladies, A Zhong and A Guang, he discovered that all three wives hadn’t returned home yet.

“Oh no! They can’t have all run away?” A Gui recalls thinking. He also remembers that the same year he brought A Zhen to his hometown, the Vietnamese wives of two other locals had also run away. He didn’t believe that story until now. After all three husbands repeatedly tried to get in touch with their wives, A Zhen eventually answered the phone, telling him: “we’re already on a long-distance bus back to Vietnam.” Before A Gui could get a word in, she hung up. Upon trying to call her again, they found that A Zhen’s phone had been switched off.  

“Relatively peaceful” families

It turned out that the three ladies were really on the run, and had taken the children of the three families with them. The three Fujian families hurriedly checked their houses to see if anything else was taken, and found that their bank deposit books among other valuables were all left behind. “Who would expect something like this to happen?” Said Mr. Zhang, a neighbor. To him it seemed that all three families were relatively peaceful, with the husbands and wives loving each other respectively. The father in-laws were also said to be very sweet to their new daughter in-laws, and didn’t treat them any differently on the grounds that they were Vietnamese.

Normally, the wives would look after the kids at home, make dinner, wash clothes, and do other housework while the husbands were out earning money to raise the family. Even though the jobs of the men weren’t stable and their salaries weren’t great, they all managed to get by well enough. To marry A Zhen, A Gui spent over 50,000 RMB, borrowing some of the money from a friend. After they were married, A Gui did his best to treat her as well as he could within his means, despite his tricky financial situation. Until the recent incident, A Zhen never mentioned the subject of returning or even visiting her home in Vietnam. After being married for two years and having a child, A Gui felt understandably distressed and confused after his wife suddenly decided to pack her bags and run away.

“We have to find our wives and kids!” decided husbands A Gui, A Zhong, and A Guang, as they planned to go to their wives’ hometown in Vietnam and eventually bring them home. On the morning of February 24, after three days of waiting for their passports to be issued, they set off on a train from Longyan to Pingxiang, the city in southern Guangxi that lies near the border of China and Vietnam. While stopping off in Pingxiang, A Zhong found a Vietnamese-speaking tour guide, who would hopefully help them in their search for their wives and kids. The three husbands are currently waiting for their visas to be processed so that they can enter Vietnam and begin the search.          

Authorities “powerless”

It has been noted in recent years that the case of the “runaway Vietnamese wife” is a somewhat recurring incident. In August 2011, there were reportedly many similar cases of Vietnamese wives running away from their Chinese husbands in Hunan, and in March 2012 there was one particular incident of a wife running away on the day of her wedding in Quanzhou, Fujian. Some experts have suggested that cultural differences, language issues, and feelings of insecurity are perhaps partly to blame.

The authorities have often proved powerless amid such situations, as when A Gui reported A Zhen’s disappearance and the taking of the child, the local police declared that because they were a married couple, the case couldn’t be counted as one of abduction. In the eyes of the law, not much can be done unless it is proven that the wives will never return, and cannot press charges if the wife is simply “bringing the child to their hometown.”    

Source: Wenxuecity
 

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Keywords: runaway wives China Runaway Vietnamese Wives Chinese husbands

13 Comments

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hoahaoblog

I know why the Wives left. The article admits that the three men didn't have a lot of money. Vietnamese woman are expected to send money to their families back in Vietnam and if the foreign husband doesn't have a lot of money they will be pressured to leave him and search for a new husband. They are an evil culture, I should know. My Vietnamese Wife and her family along with the help of the Macao Triads attempted to frame me and eventually kill me when that didn't work in an attempt to get my money. The reason these three wives didn't take the banking books is because there wasn't enough money to take to make it worth the extra scrutiny they would get from stealing. If these three husbands had a lot of money I guarantee you that they would have taken it all because it would then be worth the risk. Read my blog, it explains the living hell I have went through over in Vietnam before escaping Vietnam with my son thankfully. I did have money and they wanted it all. South Vietnamese people are extremely dishonest and heartless. They rape their daughters and all kinds of other unspeakable things that I wasn't meant to know but discovered in my 2 years there. My blog is http://triadgodfather.blogspot.com

Jul 14, 2013 23:50 Report Abuse

Corflamum

This is nothing new in other first world powers. The fact is, if you need to buy a wife, there's probably something seriously wrong with you. Those men can't speak a word of Vietnamese, and it's highly unlikely those VN farm girls could speak Hakka. I would guess severe neglect, abuse, and servitude are all in play here. I say to those women, 加油!

Mar 31, 2013 04:14 Report Abuse

Raptor35

Well, people should think about the root of this problem.., firstly, they have no resident permit to live in china, according to Chinese Law concerning Chinese married to foreigner, their visa is L visa which is 3 months, each times, there may be pressure of seeing them self as aliens. The treatment may not be good, for someone to married and have child , but he or she is just a visitor in that country. but i hope they can be re-union in future.

Mar 10, 2013 19:19 Report Abuse

Samsara

"Some experts have suggested that cultural differences, language issues, and feelings of insecurity are perhaps partly to blame." Experts from other countries would also mention that women don't like being beaten. The article goes to great lengths to suggest the men were honourable, devoted, loving husbands. I mean, seriously. China - When you stop treating domestic violence as normal and acceptable, THEN you can start postulating other theories about why women run away.

Mar 10, 2013 14:58 Report Abuse

LARedneck

My BIG question is; WHO would be stupid enough to loan these Chinese men this much money to arrange/buy a Vietnamese wife? Actually, this has been going on now for maybe the last 5-10 years with the original Chinese marriage broker who dreamed up this SCAM charging around 32,000 RMB to take Chinese men on a Vietnam "Romance Tour". The price includes airfare, hotels, transportation, pre-arranged meetings with a variety of willing girls, choice of a girl, "Dowry" cost to girls parents, marriage ceremony and a banquest. The article I read a few years ago also stated many of these new brides quickly run-away back to Vietnam. The stupid Chinese husband is usually left with only his Dick in his hand, owing friends and family a butt-load of money while the Chinese marriage broker and Vietnamese family is "Happy everyday"! Stupid is as Stupid does!

Mar 09, 2013 11:37 Report Abuse

rafaelp

but how desperate are they, they are buying wife, learn to flirt, learn to seduce stupid guys

Mar 07, 2013 15:19 Report Abuse

crimochina

that's why when buying people you need to chain them to .... ahhhhhhhhhh wait a minute. maybe you should just like... not buy a person.

Mar 06, 2013 18:04 Report Abuse

lightend

"you need to chain them to。。。” the bed post?

Mar 06, 2013 20:37 Report Abuse

Marymandarin

why this will happend? first our country develop very well is a good news ,but the problem is people value also changed,there are so expensive to marry a girl in china ,we have too much requires than marriage itself,actually marriage is very nice,but we just put too much greed,just broken our simple life. sometimes men can't choose,so he will think other ways,like:vietnam wife.For them is a good choice,you know,we all hope make a family.But also marriage should based on ture love ,if just buy or rob someone,it doesn't work.So hoping husbands and wifes all can sincely treat to each other.

Mar 06, 2013 16:23 Report Abuse

LAR

Oh yeah, your country has developed really well with LOTS OF BIG PROBLEMS NOW. What a b.s. answer! :( It's NOT that Chinese males can't choose. It's that MANY Chinese women INCREASINGLY aren't interested in them!! :( YES, GREED and MATERIALISM!!

Mar 09, 2013 00:32 Report Abuse

Guest525352

From the original article: 核心提示:福建永定县的阿贵、阿钟、阿辉三人向朋友借钱花了几万块取了越南新娘,自问未亏待过她们。 Hmm. Does this mean they used the money to "marry" these women or to "buy" them?

Mar 06, 2013 09:15 Report Abuse

DaqingDevil

I think the Vietnamese ladies know something we all know!

Mar 06, 2013 07:04 Report Abuse

milad29

what a nightmare!

Mar 06, 2013 00:52 Report Abuse