Mr. Le Quang Khoa went to Cambodia to make a living and then wandered for decades. No matter how optimistic his relatives were back home, they did not think that a miracle would bring him back to his family, until a Vietnamese person met him in Phnom Penh.
Mr. Le Quang Thung identified the photo of his younger brother when it was posted on social networks - Photo: LE MINH
Decades of wandering in a foreign land
After the Lunar New Year, information was spread on social networks to find relatives for Mr. Le Quang Khoa (68 years old) as he had been wandering in Cambodia for decades but did not know the way to return to his homeland.
The news quickly spread, although after decades of wandering, Mr. Khoa was old and emaciated, his blood relatives in his hometown in Hong Lac (Thach Chau commune, Thach Ha district, Ha Tinh) still quickly recognized their relatives and immediately made plans to bring him back home.
Mr. Le Quang Thung (75 years old, living in Hong Lac village, Mr. Khoa's older brother) said that finding his younger brother who had been lost for decades brought the family indescribable joy.
Mr. Thung said that when his younger brother grew up, he was admitted to the University of Agriculture 2 in Bac Ninh. At that time, entering university was not as easy as it is now, so it was the pride of the family and the village. While studying in the third year, Mr. Khoa unexpectedly got married and had 2 children. Since then, due to some incidents, Mr. Khoa could not finish the course and left school to earn a living.
Around 1991, through an acquaintance, Mr. Khoa went to Tay Ninh to do business in Cambodia, then suddenly lost contact. It was not until around 2001 that Mr. Khoa sent a handwritten letter home informing that he had a stable job in Cambodia, and had also been adopted by a local man, and that his finances were no longer as difficult as when he was in his homeland. That was the last contact between Mr. Khoa and his family.
That same year, Mr. Khoa had a motorbike accident, his memory deteriorated, and he could not remember his hometown and relatives. He wandered aimlessly, then was given shelter by a Cambodian resident, and every day he collected scrap metal to make a living.
At home, his relatives were extremely worried because after the last letter all news about him disappeared.
A fellow villager who was working in Cambodia promised to help find information about Mr. Khoa for his family, but that too was unsuccessful. Since then, more than 24 long years have passed, and all hope of finding him has faded.
Mr. Le Van Trung - the person who accidentally met Mr. Khoa and helped him return home to reunite with his family - Photo: Character provided
Unexpected meeting in Phnom Penh
On the 8th day of the Lunar New Year, Mr. Le Van Trung (33 years old, living in Tay Ninh city) went to Cambodia to handle work, then he went to an acquaintance's house in the capital Phnom Penh to visit.
Here, Mr. Trung unexpectedly met Mr. Khoa while he was sorting scrap in a small house. Seeing that Mr. Khoa looked quite Vietnamese, Mr. Trung took the initiative to talk to him and Mr. Khoa told him that he was from Ha Tinh.
Mr. Trung said that while talking, he saw Mr. Khoa sometimes remembering and sometimes forgetting, having been in a foreign land for decades.
"I asked Mr. Khoa why he came here and worked as a scrap collector. He told me that he had been here for decades and had lost contact. He really wanted to return to his homeland but didn't know how to get there. Moreover, Mr. Khoa didn't have any papers on him," said Mr. Trung.
Returning to Vietnam, after finishing his personal work, Mr. Trung kept his promise to help Mr. Khoa find his relatives, using the information posted on social networks.
Information about finding relatives was quickly shared widely. Just one hour later, Mr. Khoa's relatives contacted Mr. Trung to confirm the family and together find a way to bring Mr. Khoa back to the country.
On February 11, Mr. Khoa's relatives came to meet Mr. Trung and together they went to Moc Bai border gate. At the same time, Mr. Trung's brother also took Mr. Khoa from Phnom Penh to the border to hand him over to his relatives.
"I met Mr. Khoa for only 1 hour in the capital Phnom Penh, but I saw that his situation was very pitiful. He had been wandering for 30 years, wanted to return but did not know the way back, and had no one to help him return home, so I decided to support him.
"Seeing him reunite with his relatives, I was very moved," Trung confided.
Source: https://tuoitre.vn/chang-trai-tot-bung-giup-nguoi-dan-ong-luu-lac-30-nam-ve-nuoc-doan-tu-voi-gia-dinh-20250214084255952.htm
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