Chapter 77 — Shrimp Street Without Name

The morning before the trial, Hai Yen woke up earlier than usual and sat quietly in the room for a long time before preparing. She reopened her father's notebook, re-reading all the words he left behind, as a private ritual to mentally prepare for the upcoming big day. She also carried that notebook with her, keeping it carefully in her bag, as a symbol of his spiritual presence in this important moment.

When she walked out of the room, Mrs. Sau was ready, wearing the ao dai that had been neatly ironed last night, her face serious but steady. Mother and daughter looked at each other, didn't need to say anything, just gave each other a tight hug before walking out to the car together.

Kien was waiting outside, along with a security team arranged to escort them safely to the court. On the way, no one said much, each person was immersed in their own thoughts, mentally preparing for what was about to happen.

As she approached the court area, Hai Yen could not help but be overwhelmed by the crowd that had gathered early: local people, domestic and foreign reporters, and familiar faces of all those who had accompanied her throughout her recent journey. The atmosphere was both solemn and tense, as if an entire community was together holding its breath waiting for this important moment.

Mr. Tam, sitting in a wheelchair being pushed by his son, was one of the first people Hai Yen saw when he got out of the car. He raised his hand to wave at her, the smile on his lips was bright even though his face still had traces of wounds that had not yet completely healed. She ran up and grabbed his hand, not saying much other than an emotional squeeze.

Ms. Ut Phuong, Ms. Tuyet, Mr. Son and his family, Ms. Hong, Mr. Bay Correct — all were present, standing in a small group near the entrance to the court, like a wall of courage and solidarity. Hai Yen walked past each person, giving each person a hug or a handshake, deeply feeling the collective strength that surrounded her in this important moment.

Minh Khang, standing with a team of reporters, raised his camera to record the moment, but when he saw Hai Yen's eyes, he lowered the camera, just nodded and smiled in encouragement, a discreet but meaningful gesture between two people who had gone through many challenges together.

Elena, the international observer, stood in a neutral position near the entrance, taking careful notes in a separate notebook, preparing for her role as an independent monitor throughout the trial.

As the court opening time approached, the crowd began to move inside following the instructions of security forces. Hai Yen, along with Ms. Sau and Kien, were led into the area reserved for parties directly related to the case, sitting in the front row, facing the empty courtroom.

She looked to the opposite side, where the area for the defendant and defense attorneys was gradually filling up. When he was led in, Mr. Bao was wearing a dark suit, his face was pale, completely different from the confident and powerful image that the public knew. The two people's eyes met for a brief moment, there was no hatred or contempt on Hai Yen's part, only a calmness mixed with the determination of someone who was ready to face the truth, no matter how complicated and painful it was.

Exactly nine o'clock In the morning, the bell rang, signaling the official start of the trial. The presiding judge, a judge in his fifties with a stern face, entered the courtroom, and the whole room stood up in absolute silence, marking the moment that Hai Yen had been waiting and preparing for for nearly three long months, since the day she set foot back in the land named after her father, who had spent her entire life.

The presiding judge read the opening statement, declaring the reason for the trial, the list of defendants and the crimes being prosecuted: Mr. Dang Quoc Bao and seven other accomplices, were tried on charges of organized commercial fraud, obstruction of justice, illegal detention of people, and organizing the illegal sending of people abroad. His voice rang out clearly and solemnly in the quiet space of the courtroom.

The representative of the Procuracy stood up and presented a detailed indictment, summarizing the entire case's developments from ten years ago to the present - from the collapse of the Kenh Ba cooperative, through the organized land collection process, to the discovery of the human trafficking ring and the complex financial network related to the Coastal Region Group. Each statement, based on the evidence that Hai Yen and all his companions had painstakingly collected, sounded like an indictment not only of the defendants, but also of an unjust system that had existed for too long.

Hai Yen sat quietly listening, her hand tightly holding her mother's hand, feeling each word as if it were engraved deeply into her mind, confirming that each step of the long journey she had gone through was now officially recorded before the law, no longer personal suspicions or speculations, but the truth recognized by the entire judicial system.

When the representative of the Procuracy finished presenting the indictment, Mr. Bao's defense lawyer stood up and began the first argument, trying to build the image of a man who was manipulated and forced into a situation where he had no other choice. Hai Yen listened with the calmness she had practiced during weeks of preparation, not letting those clever words shake her belief in the truth.

The morning trial ended with opening statements from both sides, leaving a short lunch break before witness questioning, scheduled to begin in the afternoon. Hai Yen, along with lawyer Hoang, took advantage of the break to review one last time the important points that needed to be emphasized when it was their witnesses' turn to be called.

“The morning went as planned,” lawyer Hoang commented, her voice calm. "There are no surprises from the defendant's side. Let's stick to our prepared strategy, letting the evidence and witnesses speak the truth for themselves."

Hai Yen nodded, even though her heart was still filled with the tension of the first morning, knowing that the most important moments, when the witnesses officially stepped up to the witness stand, were still ahead.

During the lunch break, she took the opportunity to go out to the court corridor to meet her mother and other witnesses, checking on each person's spirit before the trial continued. Mrs. Sau, although still nervous, has regained the necessary calm after a stressful morning.

“Mom are you okay?” Hai Yen asked, holding her mother's hand.

“I'm fine,” Mrs. Sau replied, nodding affirmatively. “Listening to them present the indictment, Mom felt even more determined to tell her truth.”

Mrs. Tuyet, sitting nearby, also nodded in agreement. "Me too. Hearing the whole story presented in such a systematic way, I realized that the testimony of each of us is just a small piece in a much larger picture. That makes me feel my responsibility is heavier, but also more meaningful."

Hai Yen smiled, touched by the steadfast spirit of all the people around her. She had a light lunch with everyone, trying to keep the atmosphere less tense with small stories and gentle words of encouragement, preparing herself as best she could for the afternoon trial.

When the lunch break ended, everyone returned to the courtroom one by one, ready for the next part of this historic trial — the questioning of witnesses, where the truth would be told directly from the people who lived it, without any other layers of intermediaries or interpretations.

Hai Yen returned to her seat, her heart beating fast at the thought that her mother would be one of the first witnesses called. She looked at Kien, who smiled encouragingly, then looked towards the courtroom where the judge had just returned to his position, preparing to announce the continuation of the trial. The atmosphere in the courtroom was much more tense than in the morning, when everyone understood that this would be the most important part, where the direct testimonies would largely determine the final outcome of the entire case, a case that they had all worked hard to build over the past nearly three months filled with hardships and dangers, since the first day Hai Yen set foot in the Nam Can port container yard, carrying a secret she thought she could keep forever, before fate brought her back to the right place. She needed to return, to complete a mission that she had carried for ten long years.