Boy found alive after 5 days missing in forest

Dang Tien Lam, a resident of Van Yen District, went missing on Aug. 17 after visiting a relative’s house for a meal. That afternoon, Lam and his nine siblings ventured to a nearby stream to play. However, Lam left the group early to head home. When 20 minutes passed without any sign of him, his family began a search.

Authorities in Van Yen District quickly mobilized over 200 people, including police officers, soldiers, militia members and local volunteers to aid in the search, said district head Ha Duc Anh. Investigators reviewed surveillance footage from nearby areas to eliminate the possibility of kidnapping, and people also drained fish ponds and scoured streams to ensure he had not drowned.

At 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, farmer Ly Van Nang, 52, heard the faint cries of a child as he returned to his tent for lunch after a morning of work. Upon investigating, he discovered Lam, exhausted and unable to stand, sitting in a bush.

"I picked him up, and he said he was tired and hungry, asking if I had anything to eat," Nang recounted. The boy said he had neither food nor water for days.

Nang comforted Lam and carried him to his tent, where he provided the boy with food before notifying authorities. Within 15 minutes, he had carried Lam down the hill to reunite with his anxious parents, who had just arrived. Lam was later taken to a local medical station for a health check-up.

The area where Lam went missing is a mountainous region that spans the districts of Yen Bai and Lao Cai. Lam was found approximately 6 km from where he had initially disappeared.