John Hurson, a truck driver from County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, the UK, has traveled to Vietnam’s Nghe An Province to meet family members of five migrants who were among 39 Vietnamese nationals found dead in the back of a container unit in Essex, England in 2019.

In the lorry tragedy in October 2019, the 39 Vietnamese paid smugglers to pursue a better life but ended up suffering 'excruciating deaths' due to suffocation on their way from Belgium to Essex.

Hurson, 53, said that he did not know the people who were involved in the act of human smuggling personally but they are from his area, just about 20 miles away.

He drives the same kind of truck and trailer that the Vietnamese migrants were put in. 

“There were a lot of times when I'd be opening my doors on the trailer to load or unload and you would look into the trailer and sometimes you would think the 39 people were in a trailer the same as this," the man recalled. 

“It was tragic that they were put in the trailer in the first place. Then you just think of yourself, if you were locked in here, the way they were transported, nobody would have ever heard all the banging.

“It affected me that way for a year.”

Hurson talked to his cousin who supported his idea to go and visit the families of the 39 migrants, but the COVID-19 pandemic put the plan on hold.

In March 2020, the UK went into lockdown. It was not until September 2022 that he started to plan the trip to Vietnam.

Hurson arrived in Nghe An Province on February 10 with the help of some Vietnamese journalists who arranged the visit and provided translation. 

“We were able to arrange meetings with five families. It would be difficult to do more because of the different areas that they're from and, maybe, people didn't want to get involved," he said. 

"But by just visiting the five families, I was able to understand and I'm sure the same feelings and hurt for everybody else.”

He added, “I want to find out where they came from? What was the area they were from like? Why did they make the journey? What family did they leave behind, what were their dreams and aspirations? And I wanted to let them know that the people in Northern Ireland and the UK, we haven't forgotten about them.”

Hurson said for him it was really sad to see that all the five families he visited lived within a one-mile area from each other - so close distance that they could do all the visits in one day.

He realized that the five victims were all close neighbors. When the tragedy hit, one small community shared the great pain as they all lost their children, wives, or husbands at the same time. 

"Each house had a mourning altar. We lit incense. We bowed and had a moment of reflection," he recalled. 

“The pain for them is still there. It was very emotional. I kept strong throughout the visits, but when I got back to my hotel room afterwards, it took me a while to recover.”

For him, the first family was the hardest visit. The mother was just crying and the father tried to be strong as they had lost their only son.

He was told that in Vietnam, the son carries the family name and looks after his parents when they get older.

He understands that the parents had lost their hope.

Hurson met with parents who lost their sons, wives that lost husbands, and the children that lost their fathers.

While the visits were emotionally difficult, it ended on an upbeat note.

During his last visit, they were sitting around and drinking tea while the father got up, went to the kitchen, and brought back four beers. He flashed a big smile and they started to drink beer. 

“From complete heartbreak and sadness of the very first visit, I left with smiles and laughs because we were drinking beers. I came back to my hotel with a lot of emotions. I was very sad but also felt a sense of achievement," he said.

“I have fulfilled what I set out to do and hoped that the visits brought some level of comfort to the families. I hope that they know that the people on the other side of the world did care about them. I have explained to them about the book of mourning we did.

“Hundreds of people in my town had sent their best wishes, expressed their sorrow, and passed on their condolences in that book which was sent to the Vietnamese Embassy in London.”

Hurson said he came to Vietnam with a very open mind but he did think seriously about a little gift for each family. He brought small crosses that were made in his town - Tyrone in Northern Ireland. 

“These crosses stand in two villages in my hometown. I couldn't have thought of a better gift that represents our area,” he said. 

He also brought a big flag from Tyrone to Vietnam to show the concern for and solidarity with the families.

Hurson hopes the visit will help with their healing.

"Making that visit meant a lot to me. It's not going to ease any pain but hopefully it'll bring some comfort,” he said.

He added, “I was very lucky that I was very welcomed. I got to speak with them. They’re very bright people, very dignified people. They don't want to have charity or handouts.

“Being treated with respect and dignity means a lot more to them. That is why the people took risks to make the journeys. They want to be dignified, they want to provide for themselves and for their families a better life. That says a lot.”

Hurson is continuing his trip in Vietnam, making stops in Hue, Hoi An, and Ho Chi Minh City. 

“As a truck driver, I was able to get extra trips. I made a few sacrifices. I didn't go out to socialize as much. I watched what I spent. I worked very hard for a few months to save money to make this trip but it was well worth it," he told Tuoi Tre News. 

Four men, three of them from Northern Ireland, were found guilty of the manslaughter of the 39 Vietnamese people.

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