A first-year student of a university in Ho Chi Minh City has been found dead in a river after he had lost contact with his family for several days.

Officers under the municipal Department of Public Security confirmed on Tuesday they were investigating the death of Nguyen Van Nghia, 19, a freshman at the Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology and Education.

Nghia’s body was found along a section of the Saigon River in Ward 13, Binh Thanh District earlier the same day.

Preliminary information showed that Nghia, who hails from south-central Binh Dinh Province, arrived in Ho Chi Minh City early on Saturday morning to prepare for in-person learning following about six months of online study over COVID-19 impacts.

Nghia was supposed to be picked up by his cousin – Ho Thi Cam Nhung – at Mien Dong (Eastern) Bus Terminal in Binh Thanh District, but Nhung and other family members could not contact him since his arrival.

Nhung filed a missing person report on Sunday.

CCTV footage at Mien Dong showed that Nghia got on a motorbike taxi after arriving in the metropolis.

Local residents found a body along a section of the Saigon River in Ward 13, Binh Thanh District on Tuesday morning.

Police examined the corpse, reviewed the belongings, and worked with the family before concluding that the cadaver is Nghia’s.

On the same day, officers were able to find the motorbike taxi driver, who said he had taken Nghia to the University of Technology about two kilometers from the bus station.

They later let the driver go as they did not find any reason to suspect him.

The autopsy revealed that Nghia had died due to asphyxiation, and no injuries were found on his body.

The deceased student still had his ID and all of his valuables with him.

Investigators have collected some fluid inside his stomach and chest cavity for toxicology testing.

Further investigation is ongoing.

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