Vietnamese woman reunited with over $1,800 accidentally donated for flood relief

According to Ha Nha Commune’s police agency in Da Nang, the incident unfolded when volunteers were organizing supplies at a private home used as a temporary relief collection point.

At around 9:40 am, Le Van Hoang, a 60-year-old resident of My An Village in Ha Nha Commune, reported to police that while sorting aid items for flood-hit families at his house, Nguyen Thi Bay, 54, discovered a pouch containing a large amount of foreign currency mixed in with donated clothing.

Inside the pouch were $1,865 and 130 Cuban pesos.

Hoang and Bay immediately contacted the local police to hand over the money and assist in finding the rightful owner.

Local police then launched a verification process to identify who had contributed the clothing.

At around 2:00 pm the same day, officers confirmed that the money belonged to Nguyen Thi Tuyet Lan, a 40-year-old woman living in Ngu Hanh Son Ward, Da Nang.

Police determined that Lan had unintentionally forgotten the cash while packing clothing for donation to flood victims in central Vietnam.

After confirming ownership, police completed formal documentation and returned the full amount of money to Lan on the same day.

Her contribution of clothing is part of a nationwide donation drive jointly carried out by state-run agencies, private sectors, and individuals to support families and communities affected by historic flooding in south-central Vietnam earlier this month.

As of Wednesday morning, the number of people killed in the floods in the region had risen to 98, while 10 remained missing and economic losses are estimated at VND14.325 trillion ($545 million).