The incident took place on the evening of 1/1 aboard the SE5 train from Hanoi to TP HCM. Ms. Hue, in her late 50s and from Da Nang, explained that a tissue packet held a pair of earrings and a gold necklace. While she was in the restroom, a family member, mistaking the packet for trash, cleared the table and discarded it.

The train had a mere 12-minute stop at Dong Hoi station (Quang Tri) to allow passengers to board and alight, and to offload trash. Ms. Hue realized that if the jewelry wasn't found before the train departed, the trash would be removed, rendering recovery nearly impossible. She urgently sought help from the train crew as the train began to slow down for the station.

A pair of earrings and a gold necklace belonging to passenger Bach Hue from Da Nang were lost on the SE5 train from Hanoi to TP HCM on 1/1. *Photo: Vietnam Railways*

Train Chief Hoang Ngoc Thao, 38, immediately deployed six attendants to secure carriage 9. They ensured that all plastic bags of trash collected from the sleeping compartments, which were awaiting offloading at the station, were kept for inspection.

"With time running out, we had to overturn every trash bag and meticulously check each piece of paper," Thao recalled.

After the 12-minute stop, the trash had been thoroughly searched, yet the gold was still missing. As the train departed, the passenger's hope faded. Undeterred, the crew continued their search, re-examining the fixed trash bins in the carriage 9 restrooms, areas they thought might have been overlooked.

Twenty minutes after the train left the station, attendant Le Thi Minh Quyen cheered, having discovered a crumpled paper packet deep within a restroom trash bin. Inside, upon inspection, was Ms. Hue's lost jewelry.

Upon recovering her belongings, Ms. Hue was overcome with emotion, explaining that the jewelry was a valuable sentimental item she had just worn to a relative's wedding. "Returning the item to its owner is our greatest joy on the first day of the new year," Train Chief Thao stated.

Train Chief Hoang Ngoc Thao, 38, (red shirt, left) returns gold jewelry to Ms. Bach Hue on the Hanoi - TP HCM train on 1/1. *Photo: Vietnam Railways*

Around the same time, another search operation was underway on the SE3 train, which had departed from Hanoi on the evening of 31/12. On the morning of 2/1, as the train pulled into Saigon station, Train Chief Tran Van Tri received a report from a Vietnamese-American woman who had lost her handbag.

Upon the train's arrival at Saigon station, Ms. Oanh reported her handbag missing. It contained crucial documents for her flight back to the US on 4/1, along with over 400 USD and cash. She was unsure where she had left it, given that her group was large and they had moved between several carriages.

Drawing on his extensive experience, Train Chief Tran Van Tri suspected that passengers often hide valuables under pillows for safety and then forget them. He promptly ordered a search of all pillows in the berths Ms. Oanh had occupied.

As anticipated, the bag was discovered tucked under a pillow in a berth in carriage 5, contrary to the passenger's initial belief that it was in carriage 6. Upon receiving all her belongings and documents, the woman offered a monetary reward, but the crew politely declined. "This is our responsibility," the 52-year-old train chief shared. "We hope you will share positive images of Vietnamese people with the community in the US."

Train Chief Tran Van Tri, 52, returns money and documents to passenger Kim Oanh, forgotten on the North-South train, at Saigon station, TP HCM on 2/1. *Photo: Vietnam Railways*

Train Chief Tran Van Tri has dedicated 26 years to the railway industry, and Hoang Ngoc Thao has 16 years of service. Throughout their careers, they have not only recovered lost property but also assisted pregnant women in childbirth on the train and contributed money to help struggling passengers return home.

For these dedicated professionals, passenger happiness is the ultimate measure of their work. "Seeing a passenger in trouble and not offering help wouldn't sit right with us," Tri explained. "It's not just a responsibility; it's the human connection we share on every train journey."

Quynh Nguyen