In Vietnam, a 13-year-old boy named A Quoc reportedly walked 100km across the mountains alone to find his mother because he missed her.
His journey ended when police, inspecting areas at risk of landslides during heavy rain in another commune, discovered him and brought him to safety.
The boy was then safely reunited with his family.
At around 1.30pm on Saturday (12 Sept), Lieutenant Colonel Tran Thanh Tuan, Deputy Chief of Phuoc Nang Commune Police in Da Nang City, noticed Quoc sitting alone beside a roadside home during a downpour.
He was wearing thin clothing, appeared exhausted, and was shivering from the cold, according to the police’s account on Sunday (13 Sept), as reported by Tuoi Tre.
Source: Tuoi Tre
After approaching him, officers learned that Quoc was from Dak Be Village in Ngoc Linh Commune, Quang Ngai Province. He told them he was trying to locate his 34-year-old mother, Y Hanh.
Police brought him to their station, where they provided him with warm food and drinks.
Quoc told officers he had left his home on foot and navigated the mountain terrain alone to reach Phuoc Nang Commune.
GPS tracking data showed the boy had travelled roughly 100km.
Source: Thanh Nien
Guided only by fragmented stories of his mother working among the acacia trees of Kham Duc Commune, the boy moved from village to village by asking locals for help along the way.
He accepted whatever meals were offered, found shelter from the night air, and resumed his solitary walk at first light.
While Quoc carried a mobile phone, it lacked a SIM card and relied entirely on Wi-Fi to make calls via Messenger.
His phone battery was completely dead when officers found him.
They charged the boy’s phone and tried to reach out to his mother, sister, and relatives on Messenger and by phone, but to no avail.
Phuoc Nang Commune Police then coordinated with Ngoc Linh Commune Police, who managed to contact Quoc’s older sister, Y Lua.
On Saturday evening, Quoc’s sister and brother-in-law travelled on a motorbike to the Phuoc Nang police station to bring him home.
According to the family’s thank-you letter sent to the police, Ms Y Kiem said that because Quoc missed their mother, so he voluntarily left home on 7 Sept.
Source: Vietnam Net
After discovering that he was missing, the family searched various places but found no information about his whereabouts.
They were very surprised to learn that Quoc had walked more than 100 km over six days, alone, to Phuoc Nang Commune in search of his mother.
The family then thanked the Phuoc Nang Commune Police for taking care of the boy.
The police later found that Quoc’s father had passed away, while his mother had remarried and had another child.
He usually lived with his mother but stayed with his married sister when his mother was away for work.
Source: Thanh Nien
Major Nguyen Hoang Khanh Hoa, chief of Ngọc Linh Commune Police, said the family works as hired labourers and faces financial difficulties.
Quoc dropped out of school in the second grade. He noted that Quoc’s family is classified as impoverished, facing severe economic hardship.
The authorities had provided his family with 60 million VND (around S$2,945) to build a brick house.
After the child was reunited with his family, the police visited their home to offer support and encouragement.
They also reminded the boy to avoid making dangerous solo journeys in the future.
Also read: 65-year-old labourer in Thailand left by team in forest, walks 50km to find coworkers
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Featured image adapted from Tuoi Tre and Thanh Nien.