Nguyen Thi Thanh Huyen is reunited with her four-year-old daughter after four years
Although the HCM City People's Court announced two years ago that Nguyen Thi Thanh Huyen, 34, would have the legal right to keep her daughter, the mother only received the little girl early this year, four years since the day they were separated.
At a meeting held by the HCM City People's Court on January 30 which was attended by representatives from the city's People's Procuracy, the Child Protection Association, local authorities and police,Huyen was given back her four-year-old daughter, Sarah Thien Kim, from the girl's French father, Stephane Alexandre Azais, 44.
"I am extremely happy that I cried when seeing my little girl immediately running to me despite four years away," Huyen said. "I will try to give her all the best I can to compensate for the time she lived without a mother."
According to the court's report, Nguyen Thi Thanh Huyen and Stephane started living together in HCM City in 2013. After a time, they separated when Huyen was six months pregnant. After Huyen gave birth, the father hired an apartment in Thao Dien Ward, District 2 for the mother and baby. He visited them two or three times a week and sometimes took the baby to his place. Stephane registered the baby's birth certificate at the Consulate General of France in Ho Chi Minh City.
On November 29, 2014, Stephane brought the three-month-old baby to France without saying anything to Huyen. After failing in persuading him to return her daughter, Huyen came to France in 2016 and lodged a lawsuit against him. She won the case at a French court in June 2016 but Stephane did not follow the ruling. He brought the baby back to Vietnam and continued to keep her.
Huyen logged a lawsuit against Stephane at the HCM City's Court in August 2016 and also won the right to keep the baby but the French man who didn't show up at the court still refused to give her back.
At the meeting on January 30, Stephane gave the baby back to Huyen but didn't give back her passport.
