A Maidstone girl stranded in Vietnam for almost a month after her father disappeared with the family’s passports will return to Melbourne tomorrow.
Star Weekly reported last week that Duong Nguyen, the mother of Kate Vo, 11, had returned to Melbourne without her daughter to seek help after Australia’s embassy in Ho Chi Minh City refused to issue a new passport for Kate without her father’s signature.
Her father is believed to have returned to Australia without his estranged wife and daughter after telling Ms Duong the passports had been stolen at gunpoint from a hotel room.
Ms Nguyen hand-delivered a letter to the Department of Foreign Affairs last Monday, pleading for a replacement passport for Kate.
DFAT fast-tracked the passport after intervention from Foreign Minister Julie Bishop and media attention on their plight.
Ms Nguyen said on Monday she now had the passport and planned to fly to Vietnam later that day and return with Kate tomorrow.
Footscray youth worker Les Twentyman, who accompanied Ms Nguyen when she delivered her letter to DFAT, said she had been incredibly distraught at being separated from her child.
“There was real concern about the impact this separation was having on both the mother and child’s mental health and I’m pleased the minister has been able to step in to ensure they will be reunited,” he said.
“Both will need counselling on their return to ensure there are no lasting mental health effects from such an emotional situation.”
Kate, in year 5 at Footscray West Primary School, stayed with Ms Nguyen’s sister in Vietnam while her mother worked to resolve the situation.
