A father from Graz has been fighting for months for his children, who were born in Vietnam, to be allowed to come to Graz with their mother. She visited the “Krone” in Hanoi.
From the heart of the hectic eight million metropolis of Hanoi, our driver meanders through the noisy and chaotic avalanche of traffic to a quieter outlying area. After half an hour we reach the residential complex in the middle of the high-rise buildings. With palm trees in the yard, neat and tidy, huge compared to our living conditions.
Thu welcomes us with little Lucas on his arm and a friendly smile. We meet her mother and Lucas’ brother Leon in her apartment.
They are cute, these little ones, they chuckle happily to themselves, smile and kindly hold out their toys to us. They are a little suspicious of the two men from Austria, especially the one with the camera. But the skepticism soon gave way.
Your mother can see the hardships of the past few months. The despair, the hopelessness, this great fear of their newborns. Who was born way too early in December, Lucas with only 900 grams, his twin brother Leon with 1200. For months their lives hung by a thread. Mama Thu says: “Fortunately, both are doing pretty well now. But after the delivery it was very difficult. Lucas was in the hospital for two months. We had to keep an eye on him 24/7, also afterwards, because there was always a risk that he would suffocate.”
All this with a father who was half a world away in Graz, beside himself with worries – and not allowed to see his children. And his family not before him. Do just couldn’t get a visa. She shows us her passport, which is fully taped and stamped with visas from different countries. She traveled a lot for work and study, “there was never a problem”. Except this time, with the Austrian authorities. A battle of despair for months.
Latest status: The babies are allowed to come to Styria, the mother is not. Christoph R. in Graz is desperate: “My friend Thu is not a social thing for our country – she studied two complicated subjects, companies would scramble for her. And she is the mother of my children – whom I am taking care of because of all these requirements age of four months for the first time. And to whom I am a stranger as a father. I wonder how authorities can decide with a shrug about the fate of a family.” He’s not the only one wondering that.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has now indicated that it wants to intervene.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
