Two Mong boys cycled hundreds of kilometers to find their mother.

Hoa Binh Not fluent in Kinh language, never traveled far but knowing that their mother went to Hanoi to find a job, the two brothers Hinh and Chu rode their bikes to look for her.

At 5:30 p.m. on April 18, two boys rode their bicycles through the gate of Mr. Ha Van Chuan's house in Thung Khe hamlet, Thanh Son commune, Mai Chau district, Hoa Binh province.

Seeing that the two children were tired, hungry, and had blistered and swollen feet, Mr. Chuan and his wife called them into the house to feed them, bathe them, cut their hair, and reported it to the Mai Chau district police.

The two brothers Chu (left) and Hinh (right) were taken to the headquarters by Mai Chau district police for care after being discovered by local people on the evening of April 18. Photo: Mai Chau district police — The two brothers Chu (left) and Hinh (right) were taken to the headquarters by Mai Chau district police for care after being discovered by local people on the evening of April 18. Photo: *Mai Chau district police*

Mr. Bui Van Duy, a district police officer , said that through their initial conversation, the two children could not remember their full names. The boy who identified himself as the older brother said his name was Chu, 15 years old, and his younger brother, Hinh, was about 13 years old. The children also could not remember the address of the village or commune where they lived, only saying they were in Muong Cha (suspected to be Muong Cha district, Dien Bien province).

The two boys were half-brothers. Their father's name was Vu A Khu, Chu's mother was Giang Thi Giong, and Hinh's mother was Thao Thi Su. Since their father passed away and their mother went to work far away, the two brothers went to collect scrap metal to make a living and lived in a temporary shack on the side of the road, but the address was unknown.

"We only have the most basic information because the two boys are Mong, have never been to school, and do not speak or understand Kinh language fluently," said Mr. Duy.

The two brothers Chu and Hinh rode their bicycles from Muong Cha (suspected to be Muong Cha district, Dien Bien province) to Hanoi to look for their mother. Photo: Mai Chau District Police — The two brothers Chu and Hinh rode their bicycles from Muong Cha (suspected to be Muong Cha district, Dien Bien province) to Hanoi to look for their mother. Photo: *Mai Chau District Police*

That same evening, Hinh and Chu were taken to headquarters to arrange accommodation and have their health checked. The unit also assigned officers who were fluent in the Mong language to encourage the children and to collect more information to assist in the search for their relatives.

By the morning of April 19, when his health and spirit were stable, Chu added that he had started going to Hanoi about two weeks ago, after an acquaintance (unclear who) gave him two old bicycles. Neither of them knew the way to the capital, so they decided to follow the main road, asking for directions as they went.

"Since the day my mother went to work, she has never come home to visit. People around her said she went to Hanoi to work. I miss her so I want to go find her," Chu said.

Mai Chau district police contacted Muong Cha district police and the education department of Muong Cha district, Dien Bien province to verify the information and find relatives of the two brothers, but as of the afternoon of April 19, there were no results.

According to the district police officer, if it is true that from Muong Cha district, Dien Bien province to the place where Mr. Chuan and his wife helped in Mai Chau, Chu and Hinh traveled about more than 400 km.

Quynh Nguyen

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