Chapter 90 — Shrimp Street Without Name

The results of the technical examination of the recording were released three days later, confirming the complete authenticity of the evidence, with no signs of editing or cutting as the defense attorney tried to argue. With this result, the trial entered the final debate phase, and both Hai Yen and all his companions clearly felt that the final decisive moment was approaching.

In the closing argument, the representative of the Procuracy presented a powerful speech, summing up the entire ten-year journey of crimes that took place under the direction of Tran Quoc Vinh — from the intentional collapse of the Kenh Ba cooperative, through the process of collecting land and export licenses using illegal means, to the illegal smuggling ring on fishing boats, and finally the continuous efforts to obstruct justice, intimidate witnesses, even continuing right away. even after the first trial ended.

“This is one of the most serious cases of organized economic crime that the province has ever seen,” he said, his voice ringing with determination. "Defendant Tran Quoc Vinh is not only a beneficiary of this criminal system, but is the direct architect who ordered, directed, and maintained the entire network for more than a decade, despite the suffering it caused to dozens of innocent families. We recommend the harshest sentence according to the law."

The defense attorney, in a last ditch effort, continued to urge the jury to consider a number of mitigating circumstances — the corporation's past economic contributions, the creation of jobs for thousands of local workers — but even he, by the tone of his voice, seemed to realize that the overwhelming weight of the evidence had made his argument weaker than ever.

The trial was postponed for another five days to allow the jury to deliberate, a stressful waiting period for Hai Yen and all those who accompanied her. During those waiting days, she tried to keep herself busy with the community testing laboratory project, spend more time with her mother, and enjoy rare moments of peace with Kien.

The day of sentencing finally arrived, a morning that carried a solemn atmosphere different from the first day of sentencing — no longer the suspense of the unknown, but a cautiously confident waiting, built on the foundation of irrefutable evidence presented throughout the past days of trial.

When the presiding judge entered the crowded courtroom, the entire room stood up in almost absolute silence. Hai Yen tightly held her mother's hand on one side, Kien's hand on the other, mentally preparing for the moment she had been waiting for since it was a secret she kept hidden in her heart, until it became an arduous public journey that has fascinated and changed the lives of so many people.

“After comprehensively reviewing all evidence, testimony, and relevant circumstances,” the judge began, his voice ringing solemnly, “the jury declares that defendant Tran Quoc Vinh is guilty of the crimes of organizing systematic commercial fraud, serious and organized obstruction of justice, and directing the organization to bring people to justice. illegal foreign countries, and accomplices in illegal detention and continuous acts of intimidation of witnesses throughout the investigation and trial process.”

He paused for a moment, letting a heavy silence fill the room before continuing. “Given the severity, systematicity, and duration of the crimes, along with the defendant's failure to show any real remorse or cooperation throughout the trial, the jury sentenced defendant Tran Quoc Vinh to twenty years in prison, along with the confiscation of all assets of dubious origin that were identified during the investigation process.”

Sighs of relief, mixed with suppressed applause, echoed throughout the courtroom as the verdict was read in full. Hai Yen felt a surge of intense emotions welling up in her heart, uncontrollable tears rolling down her cheeks - not tears of gloating, but tears of ten years of waiting, ten years of fighting, ten years of maintaining faith in justice that had finally been fully rewarded.

Mrs. Sau hugged her daughter tightly, both crying in indescribable happiness. “Your father has been exonerated,” she whispered through her tears. “The one who was on top of it all finally paid the price.”

Vinh, upon hearing his sentence, stood speechless, his face void of any trace of the confident authority that had made him one of the region's most influential businessmen. He was led out of the courtroom in silence, without a word of protest, as if he finally accepted that the wall of power he had built up over the years had finally completely collapsed before the power of truth.

Outside the courthouse, as news of the verdict spread, a wave of joy swept through the waiting crowd. Hai Yen, when she walked out of court with her family and companions, was greeted by applause, congratulations, and the happy faces of so many people who had accompanied her through an arduous journey but had finally reached her destination, a journey that not only brought justice to her family, but also restored faith in righteousness to an entire community that had lived for too long under the shadow of injustice and fear.

Minh Khang, weaving through the crowd of reporters surrounding him, approached to shake Hai Yen's hand, his eyes filled with sincere admiration. “I have written hundreds of articles in my career,” he said, “but never have I witnessed a story as powerful and meaningful as yours. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to tell it.”

“Thank you for believing in me from the first days,” Hai Yen replied, squeezing his hand. "If it weren't for your articles, perhaps public opinion would never have known the truth behind the flashy appearance of Ocean and Coastal Group."

Lawyer Hoang, standing nearby, turned to look at Hai Yen with a radiant smile rarely seen on a woman who always maintains a calm and professional appearance. “Twenty years,” she said, shaking her head as if she still couldn't quite believe what had just happened. “This is one of the harshest sentences I have seen in my career. She has done something that very few people have done Dare to dream, Ms. Yen — you have forced an entire empire of power to kneel before justice.”

Hai Yen smiled, looking around at all the familiar faces surrounding her in shared joy, and in that moment, she fully felt the true meaning of all she had experienced — not just a personal victory, but a living demonstration that, no matter how great power and greed are faced, the truth, when pursued with perseverance and courage, always has the power to prevail in the end.

That afternoon, as the crowd gradually dispersed and the excitement subsided into a deeper sense of relief, Hai Yen and Kien walked along the canal bank near the courthouse, looking for a private moment of silence in the midst of a tumultuous day. They sat down on a stone bench under the shade of a tree, looking out at the slowly flowing water.

“You did it,” Kien said, his voice gentle, breaking the comfortable silence between the two of them. “From the first day I met you at the port, I never thought the journey would go this far and be this meaningful.”

“We did it,” Hai Yen corrected, turning to look at him with grateful eyes. “I could not have come to this day without you, without everyone who believed and accompanied me.”

Kien took her hand, the two sat silently together, letting the water pass by carrying some of the burden of a long journey that had come to the end of the most important chapter. In the distance, the church bell rang signaling the afternoon, mixed with the sound of water waves lapping gently on the shore, creating a rare peaceful scene that both of them deserved to fully enjoy after everything they had gone through together during a very long, very arduous, but also very meaningful journey.