Chapter 85 — Shrimp Street Without Name

A week after the verdict, life in Nam Can gradually returned to a rhythm closer to normal, although the atmosphere of excitement from the trial's victory still spread throughout the market and familiar alleys. Ms. Sau, for the first time in many weeks, reopened her dried shrimp stall with a new confidence, no longer having to avoid the eyes of people around her like before.

But for Hai Yen, the war has not really ended. She continues to closely monitor the extradition process of Tran Quoc Vinh, regularly contacting Elena to update the latest developments from abroad. The news, however, is not always as positive as she expected.

"The appeal from Mr. Vinh's legal team has been considered by the local court," Elena announced via a video call one afternoon, her voice carrying a cautious tone that made Hai Yen immediately sense that something was wrong. “They argued that the crimes charged in Vietnam do not fully correspond to crimes recognized under bilateral extradition laws between the two countries, especially for charges related to human trafficking, which have different legal definitions between the two legal systems.”

Hai Yen felt a familiar worry rising. “Does that mean he can avoid extradition?”

“It's not that bad yet,” Elena reassured, though her voice still held the necessary caution. "But it can prolong the legal process, forcing the Vietnamese prosecution to provide more evidence and more detailed legal arguments to prove the correspondence between the crimes. The team of international lawyers supporting us has begun preparing additional documents, but this process may take a few more weeks, even months."

This news, although not a complete failure, also made Hai Yen feel tired at the prospect of having to continue waiting for an indefinite period of time. She shared this with Kien that evening, when the two sat together in the familiar yard behind Mrs. Sau's house.

“I thought, after the verdict was announced, everything would gradually close,” she said, her voice somewhat depressed. “But there always seems to be a new obstacle, a new waiting period.”

Kien held her hand, his eyes full of understanding. “Cross-border justice is always much more complicated than justice within a country,” he said. "But don't forget, just a few months ago, Mr. Vinh's extradition was almost unthinkable. Now, at least, we are in an official legal process, with the support of international organizations. That is a huge step forward."

Hai Yen nodded, trying to look at the situation from a more positive perspective that Kien had just pointed out. She knew that her impatience, although understandable, did not help this already complicated and time-consuming process.

In the meantime, she decided to shift her focus to other tasks that lay ahead — supporting Hung and his family in the process of reintegrating after what he had been through, visiting more frequently with the witnesses who had the courage to testify, and starting preliminary discussions with Kien, Tuyet and a few former shrimp farmers about the idea of establishing a testing laboratory. independence overseen by the people themselves, a project she has long cherished as a way to ensure that what happened to her father would never happen again to anyone else.

“If we have an independent, transparent testing system, supervised by the community itself,” she presented her idea in a small meeting at Ms. Sau's house, “then no business, no matter how big, will be able to easily manipulate test results to serve their own interests like what happened ten years ago.”

Tuyet, who has now become much more open and enthusiastic than her original timid image, nodded in agreement. “I am willing to contribute my expertise to this project,” she said. “It might be the best way for me to truly make amends for what I've done wrong in the past.”

Kien also expressed his enthusiastic support, proposing to seek support from non-governmental organizations and fisheries management agencies so that the project can be implemented methodically and sustainably. The discussion lasted late into the night, giving Hai Yen a new sense of hope and purpose, something positive to focus on while waiting for the extradition process to take place.

A few days later, another surprising news appeared, this time from Nguyen Dang Hoai himself, currently serving a sentence in prison. Through his lawyer, he requested to meet privately with a representative of the Procuracy to provide more information, with the hope of contributing to the consideration of future sentence mitigation.

"He said he had more important information related to how Mr. Vinh transferred assets abroad," the lieutenant informed Hai Yen over the phone, his voice somewhat cautious but unable to hide his concern. "If this information is accurate, it can greatly help the legal battle over extradition, especially in proving Mr. Vinh's motive for dispersing his ill-gotten assets."

Hai Yen felt a new ray of hope flash before this information. Although everything still has to wait to be verified, she realizes that, even in the seemingly deadlocked stages, there are always new doors that can open, as long as she and her companions do not give up the perseverance that has helped them get here.

“Thank you for letting me know,” she said to the lieutenant. “I believe that, although the road ahead is still long, we will eventually reach the destination, just like everything we have overcome until today.”

That weekend, Hai Yen spent time visiting Mr. Tam, who was still recovering from the attack many months ago. He was able to walk with the support of a walker, a welcome improvement compared to the early days of being bedridden. His son, who temporarily put aside his job in the city to take care of his father, welcomed Hai Yen into the house with a warm smile.

“My dad keeps talking about you,” he said as he led her into the living room where Mr. Tam was sitting. "From the day he heard the news of the verdict, he became happier and ate much better."

Mr. Tam, when he saw Hai Yen, his face lit up with a toothless smile. “Miss Yen is here to visit this old man,” he said, his voice still a bit weak but full of excitement. "I heard about the verdict. It's fair, very fair."

Hai Yen sat down next to him, holding his wrinkled hand his in his hand. “I came to thank you again,” she said, her voice sincere. "If it weren't for the doctor who dared to speak up and tell the story of his pond being polluted, perhaps many other important pieces of the puzzle would never have been found."

“I just do the right thing,” Mr. Tam replied, waving his hand modestly. "You are the one who endured the most danger to bring the truth to light. I'm just sorry, I'm old and can't help more."

"You've helped me a lot," Hai Yen affirmed, gently squeezing his hand. "And you can help further, if you agree - I'm talking with a few people about setting up an independent testing laboratory for shrimp farmers. Your many years of experience in the waters, in unusual signs, will be very valuable for this project."

Mr. Tam nodded immediately, his eyes shining with enthusiasm even though his body was still weak. "I'm willing to help with anything within my ability. That will be the most meaningful thing I can do at this age."

The conversation continued for a while, with old stories about the land of Nam Can, about the days before all the tragedies happened, when Kenh Ba cooperative was still the pride of the whole community. When Hai Yen left, she felt much warmer, gaining strength from simple but resilient people like Mr. Tam - people who chose to stand up for what is right, regardless of age or personal risk.

On the way home, she stopped by to visit Ms. Ut Phuong, who was also recovering, although slower than expected due to more serious injuries from a previous encounter protecting the evidence warehouse. Ms. Ut Phuong, although still weak, was able to sit up and talk, and the joy at the verdict was clearly visible on her face.

“When I heard that Hoai had been sick for eighteen years, I was very happy,” she said, her voice still weak but full of emotion. “Looks like it's worth lying here for as long as you can.”

Hai Yen held her hand, her eyes filled with tears. "Don't say that. I wish you didn't have to suffer because of this."

"It's okay, child," Mrs. Ut Phuong replied, smiling kindly. "You're old, being able to live until the day you see justice prevail like this is very satisfying."

Leaving Mrs. Ut Phuong's house, Hai Yen felt a deep gratitude welling up in her heart for all the people who had sacrificed and endured to reach this day with her. She told herself that although the road ahead regarding Mr. Vinh's extradition is still uncertain, she will never forget what everyone has sacrificed, and will continue to persevere until justice is truly complete.