Former Prisoner Thach Mo Ni is working at his newly built house in Tan Ngai hamlet, Luong Hoa A village, Chau Thanh district, Tra Vinh province (Photo: VNT)

Starting New

Former prisoner Thank Mo Nis lives in Tan Ngai hamlet, Luong Hoa A village, Chau Thanh district, Tra Vinh province. His house is in the newly built residential area where he lives with his mother, wife andi children in a space of 100-square-meter. Ni’s youngest daughter plays outside the shop where her father works.

This house had just been built two months ago with the cost of nearly VND 900 million. Not only is it the home to Ni's three-generation family, it is also his barber shop.

Before this job, Ni used to also work as a barber in the city. He and his wife now have a stable income of VND 3 to 5 million per month, enough to make ends meet.

Another former prisoner in Tra Vinh Province is Kien Thai Vu (Ward 8, Tra Vinh city, Tra Vinh province). This granite builder lived with his wife and 11-year-old son in a small house. Granite works is Vu's speciality, which can be seen everywhere in his home, from floor to ancestor's altar.

Returning to family

Thach Mo Ni and Kien Thai Vu are two examples of ex-convicts overcoming the dark past to return homes to start a new life with support from friends, family and local authorities.

Thach Mo Ni become a felon in 2011 and was sentenced to 10 years of prison. After serving in Binh Duong province, he was granted a reprieve in 2015 because of his good rehabilitation.

His mother traveled a long distance to visit him in prison every 4 to 5 months. She said to Ni: “Try to rehabilitate and work well to return to your family,” and it was his greatest motivation. Also, he committed to rehabilitation for the sake of his three-month-old daughter.

For Ni, returning to society was not easy at first because of the guilt and shame. But with the support from the local police force and authorities, he decided to take a loan of VND 35 million for his business. Ni opened a barber shop in Hamlet 1, Ward 7, Tra Vinh City. Business was doing well and he paid off the loan after 3 years.

Major Vo Tan Dat (left) and Kien Thai Vu (Photo: VNT).

Former prisoner Kien Thai Vu was imprisoned in 2005. At My Phuoc Prison (Tien Giang), Vu also demonstrated good behavior and his sentence reduced by 20 months. As soon as he returned home, Vu started working many jobs. He got married in 2009 and now has an 11-year-old son.

“The proctors at My Phuoc prison (Tien Giang) really looked after me”, said Vu. “They helped me so I can have time to study and work, which made me who I am today”.

Major Vo Van Dat (police of ward 8, Tra Vinh city, Tra Vinh province) talked about ex-convict Vu: “I encourage people to put ourselves in their shoes to understand what they've been through and the way they want to return to society. If we treat them like family members, it is easy to communicate, to sympathy,”.

Dat also talked about the responsibility of the police foirce when working with ex-convicts. The polices have to work as a demographic manager firstly, then they are like family members who the returners can talk to without feeling ashame. The police forces have different supporting, educating and civilizing methods for different circumstances. For example, the leader of Tra Vinh city police said that Mo Ni had to deal with a lot of difficulties when he returned to the locality so the ward police cooperated with local authorities to help him with the household registration.

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