The story of a dog staying by the side of a five-year-old boy who went missing during the night in Hung Yen Province, northern Vietnam has gone viral on social media since last weekend.

Luu Duc Thuan, secretary of the Party Committee and chairman of the People's Council of Luu Xa Commune in Hung Yen, confirmed the story to Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper, saying that the dog was lying next to the boy during the ordeal.

On Friday last week, the boy, who lives in a rented house in Ngoc Long Commune, wandered out at 1:00 am with the family dog, Thuan said.

The boy and the dog walked from Ngoc Long Commune to Luu Xa Commune, where they entered a garden of a local household. 

Local residents found the boy and took him to the commune's administrative office to notify police officers.

The authorities immediately sent medical staff to check on the boy’s health, bought clothes for him, and made announcements over loudspeakers to locate his family.

Do Van Bang, 43, the father of the boy, told Tuoi Tre on Sunday that he believed as long as the dog did not return, his son was safe.

“Fortunately, a miracle happened,” Bang said, noting that his son’s health is stable.

He added that the dog is well-built and weighs about 40 kilograms.

Talking about the dog, Bang said he received the dog from a close friend in Van Lam District, Hung Yen and has been raising it for several months. The canine and his son are inseparable. 

“On the first day I brought the dog home, I pointed at my son and even told the dog that 'this is your owner, and you must protect him,' Bang recounted.

"I never expected the dog to really do so one day.

"When I discovered my son was missing, my wife and I frantically searched everywhere but couldn’t find him.

"People told me my son was lying in the dog’s embrace when they found him. 

“Later, the dog followed him to the commune's office and stayed by his side.

"Many people have praised the dog’s intelligence and asked me about how to care for and train it.

"But to be honest, we just feed it the same food we eat and don't train it at all."

Bang said that he and his wife rent a space in Ngoc Long Commune for their scrap metal business.

Their son, who has a hyperactivity disorder, is their only child. 

He is a good boy, and this was the first time he had ever left home in the middle of the night, Bang said, adding that they were doing everything possible to help him recover and were hopeful about his condition.

Over the past few days, many people have expressed interest in buying the dog, but Bang and his wife refuse to sell him, as they are deeply grateful for what he has done.

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