What does the Australian education agency say about the missing Vietnamese student?

Độc quyền của Thanh Niên: Cơ quan giáo dục Úc nói gì về vụ du học sinh Việt mất tích?- Ảnh 1. — Portrait of Sunnie Nguyen, one of the missing Vietnamese students in Australia

Contacted the student's family.

Today (January 18) marks the 10th day that Sunnie Nguyen (17 years old, real name Nguyen Hoan Ngoc Anh) has mysteriously disappeared in Australia. She is also the 5th Vietnamese student to go missing in the past month. All of them studied at Hamilton High School (Adelaide City, South Australia), each of them went missing at a different time and the police determined that there was no connection between the disappearances.

Responding to Thanh Nien Newspaper reporters, a spokesperson for the South Australian Department of Education said they were aware of the missing Vietnamese students. According to the spokesperson, the students all left their host family homes without permission. And in each case, the South Australian Department of Education immediately contacted the local police and the students' families in Vietnam to report the news.

Exclusive: Australian education agency speaks out about missing Vietnamese student

"At this time, South Australian Police have no information or evidence to suggest that the children are in any danger," the spokesperson stressed, adding that investigations have revealed that some of the children may have moved to other states. Police are also working with other agencies to help locate the missing Vietnamese students and ensure their safety.

According to the spokesperson, the South Australian Department of Education has been in contact with the students' families in Vietnam. "If you have information about the missing Vietnamese students, please contact the South Australian Police," the spokesperson added.

Hundreds of Vietnamese study in South Australia

To study in South Australia at the secondary level, a spokesperson for the South Australian Department of Education said that Vietnamese students can register through the International Education program. This program has been implemented since 1989 by the South Australian Department of Education and has so far attracted thousands of international students.

"Vietnamese are one of the largest groups of international students in South Australia," the spokesperson affirmed.

Độc quyền của Thanh Niên: Cơ quan giáo dục Úc nói gì về vụ du học sinh Việt mất tích?- Ảnh 2. — Vietnamese students learn about study abroad opportunities in South Australia at an event held in October 2023 in Ho Chi Minh City.

According to the spokesperson, every year, hundreds of students from Vietnam come to Adelaide, the capital of South Australia. They are cared for by the host family community and are also guided by dedicated staff at the school. In 2023 alone, about 430 Vietnamese international students will study at South Australian public schools through the international education program.

The spokesperson said the international education program is delivered in over 150 accredited government schools (5-12 years old primary schools and 13-18 years old secondary schools) and a number of other education sectors across South Australia. The program has specific terms of service regarding the involvement of students, agencies and homestay families.

“In addition, international students must also comply with visa regulations,” the spokesperson noted.

According to statistics from the Australian Department of Education, 746,080 international students were studying in Australia as of September 2023. Of these, Vietnam had nearly 30,000 people, ranking 6th after China, India, Nepal, Colombia and the Philippines.

Thanh Nien Newspaper will continue to update the latest information about the case of 5 Vietnamese students missing in Australia.

Overview of the missing Vietnamese student case

June 2023: Sunnie Nguyen arrived in Australia to study at Hamilton High School. She lives with a host family in South Plympton, a suburb of Adelaide, with two other international students. Her daily routine includes going to school, coming home for dinner, filming videos with her housemates, and occasionally working part-time at a nail salon 15 km from school.

January 8, 2024: After having dinner with her host family at around 7pm, Sunnie went to her room to rest. When the host checked the room at 11pm, she was gone, along with her backpack, laptop, some clothes and some important personal documents. The host then tried to contact Sunnie, but her phone was turned off and her social media accounts were deleted. Thirty minutes later, the host reported her missing to the police.

January 11: South Australian police revealed that Sunnie was the fifth Vietnamese student to go missing, one of whom had been missing for more than a month. The incident occurred from December 2023 to present. Police also announced that the five disappearances (one of whom has been located) were unrelated. On the same day, Sunnie's best friend also moved into her house and was said to have no knowledge of the student's mysterious disappearance.

January 18: The South Australian Department of Education responded to Thanh Nien Newspaper reporters about the latest developments related to the missing Vietnamese students. Accordingly, the Vietnamese students left their host family home without permission, and the Australian education agency has also contacted their families. The students are not in any danger at this time.

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