An old lady who got lost for over 700km from Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province in southern Vietnam to Quang Ngai Province in the central region has received help from the people and police in the latter locality to reunite with her relatives.

Nguyen Thi Anh, 78, was taken to a house of her relatives in Quang Ngai at around 11:00 pm on Thursday.

Some residents of Quang Ngai’s Tu Nghia District found Anh wandering on National Highway 1 in the district’s La Ha Town at around 8:00 pm on the same day and reported the case to the local police.

Nguyen Thi Anh, 78, is found along National Highway 1 in La Ha Town, Tu Nghia District, Quang Ngai Province, Vietnam, February 23, 2023. Photo: K.P. / Tuoi Tre

“The old lady appeared to be mentally unstable and did not bring any identification papers along, so we took her to the town police headquarters,” said Major Duong Thi Kim Phuong, deputy chief of the La Ha Town police department.

At the police office, as Anh repeatedly asked to leave, police officers tried to start conversation with the woman to help her feel comfortable.

“We asked where her house is, but she replied with one different address every time,” said Major Phuong.

Nguyen Thi Anh, 78, is seen at the police headquarters in La Ha Town, Tu Nghia District, Quang Ngai Province, Vietnam, February 23, 2023. Photo: K.P. / Tuoi Tre

It took a long time for the old woman to remember her name is Nguyen Thi Anh and she was born in 1945 in Binh Son District, Quang Ngai.

Anh said her hometown is Binh Son, but her entire family relocated to Ba Ria-Vung Tau a long time ago. 

The old woman said she was going for a walk in Vung Tau, the capital city of Ba Ria-Vung Tau, and insisted that she was still in Vung Tau despite people telling her she was in Quang Ngai then.

Nguyen Thi Anh (L, 2nd), 78, reunites with her relatives in Quang Ngai Province, Vietnam, February 23, 2023. Photo: K.P. / Tuoi Tre

Anh said she has a daughter named Le Thi Hoang Hoa and a son named Vu Quoc Thanh, both of whom live in Vung Tau. 

“I went out the other day, but now I don’t remember the way back home,” she said.

The police of La Ha Town said it might be the case that the old woman got lost in Vung Tau and got on a bus to Quang Ngai because her mind was unstable and she missed her hometown.

Major Phuong shared Anh’s case on some Facebook groups in order to look for the old woman’s family.

Relatives react upon the reunion with 78-year-old Nguyen Thi Anh in Quang Ngai Province, Vietnam, February 23, 2023. Photo: K.P. / Tuoi Tre

A resident of La Ha Town then realized Anh and claimed to be her relative.

After verification, the town’s police determined Anh’s hometown was exactly Binh Son District and her family moved to Vung Tau many years ago. 

Her children have been looking for since the day she got lost in the southern beach city.

Police in La Ha Town returned Anh to her relative in the province on the same night.

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