Chinese tourist reunited with $14,000 left behind in Hanoi taxi

The incident unfolded late on Tuesday, when Lai Jian Syun flew from Guangzhou to Hanoi's Noi Bai International Airport. He then caught a taxi into the city, and only after leaving the car for sometime did Syun realized that he had left his backpack in the vehicle. Inside were personal documents, a laptop and 100,000 Chinese yuan ($13,900).

With no receipt, license plate or driver's contact information, Syun rushed back to the airport, hoping surveillance footage could help.

At Terminal T2, Syun met Kieu Huy Hung, a security officer working the night shift. Hung patiently communicated via a phone interpreter app and immediately launched an urgent.

Authorities discovered the taxi was an unauthorized vehicle that had entered the terminal area to solicit passengers, leaving no official records or clear security camera footage of the license plate or driver.

Despite the odds, airport security staff managed to identify and locate the driver using investigative methods. The driver later arranged for another taxi to return the lost backpack from downtown Hanoi back to the airport.

Just over an hour after Syun reported the loss, his backpack was safely back in his hands.

Syun praised Hung and the entire airport team, saying he could have lost everything if not for their help.