An unforgettable meeting between Vietnamese and German supporters after 25 years

06/08/2007
The morning of July 10 witnessed a touching reunion in Frankfurt/M city (Germany) between a Vietnamese migrant worker, her daughter and a German couple who supported them during their time in Germany in the 1980s.

For 25 years, Mr and Mrs Watzik have sought for any news about a Vietnamese woman named Vuong and her daughter Hong Duc. The couple has asked for assistance from many friends in Vietnam and foreign countries as well as Tien Phong newspaper to find out Vuong’s whereabouts.

Returning to the past, Vuong was a pretty, thin girl who started working as a migrant worker in East Germany in 1982, recalled Mr Watzik. At that time, it was impossible to allow a migrant worker in pregnancy to keep o­n working. Because Vuong often got sick, so by a regulation, she had to be sent back to Vietnam. Fortunately, Mr. Heinz, the labour union’s head in the factory she worked for, adopted Vuong. At last, she was taken care at the convalescent hospital Marienberge, for six months.

There, Vuong met and got acquainted with Mrs Ina Watzik, a nurse, whose husband is Verne Watzik. Knowing that Vuong could not eat German food, Ina asked Vuong for Vietnamese food recipes.

A beautiful baby, Hong Duc, was born o­n May 10, 1982 to commemorate the unforgettable days of Vuong in Germany. She has a German name of Rosi. Having been discharged from the hospital, Vuong continued her job. The Watziks’ house became a familiar place for Vuong and her daughter. They usually went there and enjoyed meals with the German couple.

Mr Watzik was a photographer, and therefore, he took a lot of photos of Vuong, Rosi and his family. In the 25 years, such photographs have been preserved carefully by him.

After returning to Vietnam, Mrs Vuong wrote some letters to her adopted father but received few replies. Meanwhile, the Watzik greatly missed Vuong, trying their best to find her from a little information about Vuong’s address.

Luckily, with the assistance of writer Le Minh Ha who was living in Germany and Ha’s friend as well as a Tien Phong Newspaper reporter, the four persons of Vietnam and Germany have in touch with each other again.

Vuong and her daughter decided to fly to Germany to meet with their supporters-relatives. Obstacles during the time of completing necessary procedures could not prevent their reunion.

In a letter sent to Watzik before heading to Germany, Vuong invited the couple to visit Vietnam to feel Vietnamese sentiments as she had felt Germans’ wonderful kind-hearted affection for her.

Their wish of the reunion has been materialized. And many moving stories about their long-time findings are sure to be told later. 

CPV/BTA

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