Vietnamese bride stands trial for killing mother-in-law

A Vietnamese woman accused of intentionally injuring her mother-in-law which caused her death, stood trial in Guangyuan, Sichuan province on Tuesday.

Ha Thi Trang, 25, the Vietnamese wife of Gong Jianyong, 32, from Bayi village of Guangyuan, said she was trying to escape from the marital home and was caught by her mother-in-law Sun Guizhen, after which a struggle ensued leading to Sun's death on March 15.

In her defense, Ha said that she felt she had been tricked into marrying Gong in September 2012, and had been trying to leave for some time.

She entered a guilty plea after a heated debate in court about whether Ha caused Sun's death by negligence. A verdict has not yet been announced.

Gong had apparently spent 40,000 yuan ($6,588) on betrothal gifts to marry Ha, but she was disappointed by his economic situation, according to the online broadcast of the trial via the official Sina Weibo account of the Guangyuan Intermediate People's Court.

On March 15 when Gong left for work, Ha tried to find her passport, which Sun had kept to prevent her from escaping.

Ha crept into Sun's room late in the evening and tied her up. Sun awoke and fought back, falling on the ground and hitting her head.

She then lifted Sun into the bed, restrained her and gagged her with clothing. She did not further harm Sun, however, the woman later died of the previous injury. Ha was detained by Chengdu police on March 23 in the home of a local resident.

The tragedy is largely attributed to lack of communication due to the language barrier between the two, Ha's lawyer Zhao Chengqiong told the Global Times.

Though "buying" foreign women as a bride is illegal, it has become common practice in some regions in China including Guangyuan and neighboring Gansu Province.

Foreign women, normally from Vietnam and Myanmar, leave home for a better life in China through marriage, but many of them will be disappointed by the gap between the reality and their expectations, said Zhao, noting that local government should take measures to regulate such "business."