Chapter 93 — Shrimp Street Without Name

Three weeks after the petition was filed, the court officially announced its approval to accept the case of reviewing Mr. Do Van Tien's sentence according to retrial procedures, news that Hai Yen has been waiting for with excitement and anxiety for the past few days.

“This is an important first step,” lawyer Hoang explained when informing Hai Yen of this news. "The court's acceptance shows that they consider our petition to have sufficient legal basis to be seriously considered. The next step will be a retrial, where all new evidence will be presented and re-evaluated."

The retrial is set to take place within a month, a period of time Hai Yen spends continuing to perfect all aspects of the file, while balancing legal work and new plans for the restoration of Canal Ba and the community testing laboratory project.

On the day of the retrial, the atmosphere in the courtroom had a different tone than the previous two trials - less tense and dramatic, but containing a special solemnity, when this was the time when justice was asked to reflect on its own mistakes in the past.

The judge presiding over the retrial, unlike the judge who tried the previous two cases, is an elderly woman with many years of experience in the field of appellate and retrial trials. She opened the trial with a short but meaningful statement.

"Today, we are not trying a new crime," she said, "but reviewing the correctness of a sentence that was in effect ten years ago, based on new evidence that has been discovered. This is an important responsibility of the judicial system — to be willing to correct its own errors when there are sufficient valid grounds."

Lawyer Hoang presented the entire carefully prepared argument and evidence, from Ms. Tuyet's testimony about being forced to exchange test results, to Mr. Son's testimony about the entire setup process, to the financial and recording evidence admitted in the previous two trials, clearly proving that the initial sentence for Mr. Tien was based on a deliberately falsified test result.

“We do not propose to completely eliminate all responsibilities of Mr. Do Van Tien,” lawyer Hoang emphasized in his conclusion. "We admit, and your daughter has also publicly admitted, that you made a wrong decision to compromise the quality of a small batch of goods under economic pressure. But we ask the court to make a clear, fair distinction between that small mistake and the serious crime for which you were convicted — a crime that, as the evidence has proven, was essentially the result of an organized conspiracy aimed at appropriating property."

The representative of the Procuracy, after reviewing all the evidence presented, expressed agreement with lawyer Hoang's proposal, confirming that the new evidence is convincing enough to prove that there were serious errors in the initial investigation and trial process.

When it was Hai Yen's turn to be invited to speak as the representative of the family submitting the petition, she stood up and walked to the podium with a calmness that had been trained through many challenges throughout her journey. via.

“Judge,” she began, her voice ringing clear and sincere. "I don't stand here today to demand a perfect vindication of my father. I stand here to offer something simpler but also much more important — the full truth, fairly recorded, no matter how complicated and imperfect."

She briefly recounted her family's ten-year journey, from the day the first tragedy occurred, through the years of living in shame and silence, to the arduous journey of finding the truth that she went through. "My father paid a very high price for a small mistake, taken advantage of by those with much worse intentions. I hope the jury, through its verdict today, will help restore that fair balance, not only for my family, but for the trust of everyone who has been living under the protection of the law."

Hai Yen's sincere and convincing speech made the entire courtroom silent in a deep emotion. The judge, after listening to the entire presentation, announced that the jury would need time to deliberate before making an official verdict, which is expected to be announced within the next week.

When leaving the court, Hai Yen felt a new peace, different from the nervous feeling before the previous two trials. She knew, whatever the final outcome, she had done everything she could, with as much honesty and completeness as she could bring to her father's memory.

Outside the court, Ms. Sau waited with Kien, both of whom watched the retrial from the audience. When she saw Hai Yen step out, Mrs. Sau quickly walked forward, grabbed her daughter's hand, her eyes were full of worry and hope. “What do you think they will decide?” she asked, her voice unable to hide her nervousness.

“I'm not sure,” Hai Yen admitted. "But I feel like I've presented everything as honestly and completely as possible. Regardless of the outcome, I have no regrets about the way I did things."

Kien put his arm around her shoulder, a warm gesture of encouragement. “I believe in the power of truth,” he said. "And I believe in you, Ms. Yen. You have built a solid, honest record that is difficult to refute."

During the week of waiting for the verdict, Hai Yen tried to keep herself busy so as not to get caught up in constant anxiety. She spends most of her time on the Canal Ba restoration project, meeting with agricultural and fisheries experts to plan the renovation of the pond system to more sustainable standards, and continues to work with Tuyet and the community testing lab development team to complete the final preparations.

One midweek afternoon of waiting, Elena called from abroad, announcing that she had completed her final report on the entire trial process as an international observer, and that the report had been sent to many international legal and human rights organizations as a case study of cross-border justice.

“Her story is inspiring many people far away from Vietnam,” Elena said, her voice filled with appreciation. “I have received many questions from colleagues about how one individual, with perseverance and courage, can create such a big change. in a complex legal system like this.”

Hai Yen thanked Elena for all the support throughout her journey, feeling a quiet sense of pride as she realized that her story, although starting from a personal tragedy, now had a meaning far beyond the scope she had originally imagined.

That weekend, as she sat alone on the canal bank near her house, watching the water rising in its familiar rhythm, Hai Yen felt a deep peace creep into her soul, regardless of what the final verdict would be. She has come a very long way, from a girl carrying a heavy secret back to her homeland, to a woman who has found not only justice for her family, but also a new meaning and purpose for her own life.

She opened her phone and looked back at old photos that had been kept for many years - the image of her father standing in the middle of blue shrimp ponds in the prosperous days, the image of the whole family gathering for simple but warm meals before the tragedy happened. Each photo serves as a reminder of what she is fighting to regain — not just honor, but the complete memory of a once happy family.

The afternoon wind blew gently across the canal, carrying with it the familiar salty steam of the land of Ca Mau, where she was born and raised, where she witnessed both the glorious days and the most painful years of her family. Hai Yen took a deep breath, letting that familiar air fill her chest, feeling a deep connection to the land that shaped the person she is today, no matter what the final verdict of the court, when announced, will bring.