A pair of Sydney parents say they are ‘beside themselves’ as their three year old son is stranded in Vietnam, with no way of getting home.
Penrith couple Thomas and Tran Wheeler visited Ho Chi Minh City last January to celebrate Vietnamese New Year with family. It was the first time their son Patrick had met his maternal grandparents, so the plan was to leave him with them for a few months to experience his Vietnamese ‘other culture and family’.
Mr Wheeler was booked to fly back to pick up his son earlier this year, but all of a sudden, the Coronavirus spread across the globe, grounding flights and shutting borders.
Mr Wheeler tried immediately to fly to Vietnam but came up against rules and restrictions that hindered his travel plans. When he finally got permission, Vietnam Airlines had stopped flying between the two countries, leaving the Wheelers with limited options.
Since then, the couple have been tracking charter flights; however, they have all been filled very quickly, and the issue is further complicated by Patricks age as he cannot travel unaccompanied.
One of the options proposed by authorities is that one of his grandparents could accompany Patrick back to Australia, but as they are both elderly they present a much higher risk of catching the virus, and it is highly likely that they would face issues trying to return to Vietnam from Australia.
They would also not be eligible for Medicare or any financial support while they are visiting.
Thomas and Tran Wheeler in their son Patrick's empty bedroom.
Vietnam has had a swift, strict response to both waves of the COVID-19 virus, meaning that they are being stricter now than ever before on their borders, both regarding letting citizens out and visitors in.
Patrick, after spending so much time in Vietnam, is now speaking Vietnamese more than English and has been calling his Grandmother ‘Mother’. The family try to talk regularly using Facetime and Messenger, but it is difficult to establish a proper connection.
The Wheelers have reached out to numerous government bodies for assistance, and it seems they are stuck at a dead end.
“We have tried everything we can do without making demands of the Australian people. We need help, we need some way of getting him back. We are not demanding the government pay for him, we need the opportunity to do it ourselves” he told reporters.
Around 27,700 other Australians currently stuck overseas have registered with DFAT that they wish to come home, and while flight caps have been reduced, many have been forced to turn to crowdfunding or borrowing money to get back to Australia.
Jenna Rank
Jenna has visited over 50 countries across the world, and hopes to visit 100 by 2025
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