Unwanted separation

In recent days, Jo Ngo Ya Van (born in 2002, Ka Do commune, Lam Dong) has been living in the joy of reunion. He has just found his younger half-brother, with whom he lost contact for over 17 years.

Van's childhood was marked by disadvantage and a lack of fatherly love from a young age. After his parents divorced, Van lived with his maternal grandmother so his mother could remarry.

In 2005, Van's mother gave birth to another son, named Dinh Van Minh. Since his grandmother's house was near his mother's house, Van often visited Minh. Having a younger brother made Van very happy because he had someone to play with.

When Minh learned to walk and talk, Van and his brother became even closer. When going to work, their mother often asked Van to look after Minh. Van used to carry his brother on his back to play under the avocado tree in his grandmother's yard.

Van and Minh bonded early and loved each other dearly. But shortly after, due to many reasons, Minh's parents separated. Subsequently, Minh followed his father and left for Lam Dong.

Van recalled: “At that time, I was about 6 years old, and Minh was about 3. When Minh was taken away, I was very sad. I felt extremely empty and lonely.

From then on, I stopped visiting and almost ceased contact with my mother, staying permanently with my grandmother. Later, my mother remarried and had more children.

I still love my other siblings, but because of the age gap and lack of frequent contact, I don't feel the same bond as I do with Minh. Moreover, both Minh and I lacked our mother's love, so I love him much more.”

Van's longing for Minh grew over the years. Van cherished the intention of finding his brother, but because he was young, lacked funds, and didn't know where to start, he could not do it.

Emotional reunion

As he grew up, thoughts about his brother - how Minh was living, where he was, and whether his father treated him well - were always on Van's mind. When sitting alone, Van would remember the memories the two brothers shared.

After much deliberation, Van resolved to find his brother. In 2024, he posted a search for his brother on various groups for missing persons, but with no results.

In March 2026, having saved enough money, Van decided to go find his brother. He researched and discovered information that Minh's father had previously taken him back to his hometown in the former Quang Ngai province.

Van was also told by someone from the former Quang Ngai province that they had seen Minh playing football near Go Vuon village, Long Mai commune, in the former Minh Long district, Quang Ngai province. With this information, Van brought two photos of the two brothers as children and rode his motorbike to find him.

On March 4, Van started from Lam Dong, traveling through many provinces. On March 9, he arrived in Quang Ngai and began searching for his brother in Go Vuon village, Long Mai commune, former Minh Long district.

Along the way, Van stopped at many grocery stores and houses to ask for information about Minh's father. With the help of locals, he found his brother's family.

Thanks to the two childhood photos, Minh's relatives believed Van was their child's brother. At 16:00 on the same day, Van and Minh had a deeply emotional reunion.

“Meeting after 17 years of separation, in the first few moments, both of us were shy and emotional, not daring to look directly into each other's eyes,” Van said.

“After that, I started talking to help us both open up. I recounted old memories and showed Minh the childhood photos. Finally, happiness burst forth.

Minh was moved to tears. Those around us were also touched and cried along. I am very happy because I finally found my brother and know he has a good life.”

After the reunion, Van returned to Lam Dong, while Minh stayed in Quang Ngai. Currently, Van and Minh remain in contact.

Van revealed that in the coming time, he and his family will go to Quang Ngai to visit his brother. Conversely, Minh also intends to return to his old hometown in Lam Dong to visit his maternal relatives.

Ha Nguyen