Sympathy for the deaf girl in "As If There Had Never Been a Separation": "My child has been missing for 16 years."

Compared to many reunions that have been documented, Dang Thi Hanh's story in episode 205 of "As If There Had Never Been a Separation " is not tinged with tragedy. On the contrary, it is a story sparkling with the love that Hanh received during her 16 years away from her family.

Unable to hear or speak, Hanh receives care and protection from her husband, his family, and the staff at the Binh Phuoc Provincial Social Welfare Center. Perhaps because of this, her face doesn't show the sadness of someone who has been lost for so long; instead, she appears gentle and amiable.

On the day of their reunion, the father choked back tears as he thanked those who had helped bring his daughter home. "My daughter was missing for 16 years. If she had gone outside, her life would have been very fragile. If it weren't for the kindness of these people, my daughter wouldn't be here today. I am deeply moved. It's truly heartbreaking," he said.

And the mother, upon seeing her child after so many years, exclaimed, "Seeing you so fair-skinned makes me so happy!"

The word "Phượng" in " As If There Had Never Been a Separation"

The story begins at the Binh Phuoc Provincial Social Welfare Center, where Mr. Nguyen Viet Xuan, the center's deputy director, sent information to the "As If There Had Never Been a Separation " program, asking for help in finding Hanh's family.

On October 26, 2010, the center received a young girl who had gone missing, was deaf and mute. She had no identification papers and could not provide any information about herself or her family. The center gave her the name Dang Thi Hanh.

At that time, Hanh was grown up but had never learned proper sign language. Spontaneous gestures were the only way she could tell about her past. Her memories were fragmented, vague, and insufficient to determine where she came from.

Sixteen years later, the search team of " As If There Had Never Been a Separation," with the connection of team member Le Phan Khanh Ha, communicated with Hanh using sign language.

From the few images, symbols, and pieces of information she provided, the search team gradually analyzed and pieced together the possible scenarios regarding Hanh's disappearance.

One theory suggests that Hanh may have heard someone say that her father or mother had passed away, so she followed a stranger. She was beaten and, after only about 24 hours, traveled a considerable distance to Binh Phuoc province before being taken to a social welfare center.

Here, Hanh was given the opportunity to learn a trade. Although she couldn't hear or speak, she had good observational skills and quickly grasped the work.

It was also here that Hanh met her current husband. In April 2015, they got married. To date, they have a son. On her wedding day, Hanh's representatives were the center's management, teachers, and friends – the people who had become her family during her years away from her own family.

In the program "As If There Had Never Been a Separation," the husband refers to Hạnh using the informal pronoun "it." While these words may not sound sweet, behind each shared experience lies the deep bond of a couple who have overcome difficulties together to build their life.

The husband recounted that whenever Hạnh called, he had to answer the phone immediately, otherwise, "she'd keep calling non-stop." Since Hạnh couldn't read, she'd send emojis like smiling faces, angry faces, loving faces, and affectionate faces. The husband worked far away but came home every day, worried about his wife and children being "alone."

Mrs. Thu, Hanh's mother-in-law, also showed genuine affection for her daughter-in-law. She happily recounted how Hanh cooked delicious food. These feelings made Hanh's 16-year journey, despite being far from her biological family, not too lonely.

Looking at my child's picture brought tears to my eyes.

From the few clues they had, the search expanded to a rural area in Trang Bang, Tay Ninh , where the family of Mr. Tran Van De and Mrs. Pham Thi Kim Cuc made a living by growing betel nuts.

When the information about Hanh was compared with that of Mr. De's family, matching details emerged one after another: the name Phuong, congenital hearing impairment, the time of disappearance, and identifying physical characteristics.

The truth is revealed: Hanh's real name is Phuong, the second of three daughters of Mr. De and Mrs. Cuc.

It wasn't until she was three years old that her parents learned Phuong was born deaf and mute. "Phuong" was also the only word Mrs. Cuc taught her daughter to write so she could write her own name.

Mrs. Cúc recounted tearfully, "I have three daughters. Losing them is so painful and heartbreaking. Whenever we hear about someone being deaf and mute, my husband and I rush over, frantically checking to see if it's our daughter, but it's not. We've suffered so much, searching everywhere, losing sleep and appetite. Sometimes I take out pictures of my daughters and burst into tears."

As for Mr. Đệ, he didn't dare hope. "People said my child asked to go out to play and then disappeared. Since then, I've given up all hope, I don't think my child is still alive," he said thoughtfully.

The reunion after 16 years took place at Phuong's house, witnessed by many people. When she saw the picture of herself that her mother took out of her bag, Phuong burst into tears. Perhaps she knew for sure that she had found her family, that her parents had searched for her and hadn't forgotten her.

On social media, many viewers were moved to see the family members. One comment humorously read: "With these, we probably won't even need a DNA test, they look exactly like their parents."

Episode 205 of "As If There Had Never Been a Separation," with the theme "Mother Taught Me to Write My Name as Phuong," will air at 8 PM on October 3rd on VTV9 and the program's social media channels; it will be rebroadcast at 1 PM on October 4th on VTV10.