Gold swept away by floodwaters returned to rightful owners in south-central Vietnam

In Tay Nha Trang Ward, Khanh Hoa Province, resident Nguyen Thi Ha confirmed on Friday she had been reunited with her handbag containing four maces of gold, a pair of wedding rings, and important personal documents after it was swept away during severe flooding in the region earlier this month.

Ha said that during the early morning hours of November 20, floodwaters rose rapidly, forcing her family to evacuate in a hurry.

In the chaos, she managed to carry only her handbag, which held all of her valuables and documents.

Moments later, as rushing floodwaters surged through the neighborhood, the handbag slipped from her grasp and was swept away.

That same morning, while wearing a life jacket and helping neighbors amid the flooding, the husband of Bui Thi Thu Ha, who lives in the same ward, spotted a handbag floating in the water and recovered it.

After floodwaters receded, Thu Ha used the documents inside to locate the owner and personally returned the entire handbag and its contents.

Thi Ha said she was overwhelmed when her property was returned intact.

“When I lost the handbag, I only hoped someone might find and return my documents,” she said.

“I never imagined that everything, including the gold and rings, would be returned in full. 

"I was deeply moved.”

She added that during such hardship, she never expected to encounter such kindness.

Speaking to Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper, Thu Ha said that many families suffered losses during the floods and that “anything that does not belong to us must be returned.”

In a separate but similar act of honesty, soldiers in Dak Lak Province also returned gold found while helping residents clean up after the floods.

On Thursday, Lieutenant Colonel Le Anh Thuong, deputy political chief of Regiment 66 under Division 10 of the Ministry of National Defense’s Army Corps 34, said troops were clearing mud from a collapsed home in Hoa Xuan Commune when they discovered a small leather pouch buried deep under debris.

The pouch was found by Senior Sergeant Nguyen Tuan Kiet, a squad leader, who immediately reported it to his commanding officers so the rightful owner could be located.

Authorities later identified Nguyen Thi Ngoc, 70, a resident of Hiep Dong Village, as the owner.

Inside the pouch were a gold-plated pearl necklace, a pair of earrings, and a pendant, with a total value of 4.5 maces of gold.

The regiment later returned the items directly to Ngoc.

Upon receiving the gold she had saved over a lifetime, the elderly woman broke down in tears.

“My family lost almost everything after the flood,” she said.

“Our house collapsed, and all our belongings were washed away.

“Just as we did not know where to begin again, the soldiers came to help.

“I never thought they would also find and return my precious gold.”

Captain Ly Van Khiem, political officer of Company 9, said Kiet is known for his strong sense of responsibility and always volunteers for difficult assignments.

Previously, Kiet returned a bag containing more than VND10 million (US$380) in cash that he found while assisting a flood-affected household in Dak Lak’s Dong Hoa Ward.

In recognition of his actions, Division 10 issued an outstanding commendation and ordered all subordinate units to learn from his example.

Regiment 66 also sent a formal letter of praise to the on-site task force.

These days, tens of thousands of troops, along with police, border guards, firefighter forces, and many other units have joined hands to assist flood-hit residents in cleaning houses, schools, medical stations, government offices, and roads in the south-central region.

Prolonged downpours and historic floods battered several south-central and Central Highlands provinces like Khanh Hoa, Lam Dong, Dak Lak, and Gia Lai last week, causing widespread destruction in the area.

As of Wednesday morning, the flood-related death toll had risen to 98, while 10 residents remained missing and economic losses are estimated at VND14.325 trillion ($545 million), according to the Vietnam Disaster and Dyke Management Authority.