Lang Son mother finds son after 31 years missing

Seeing the young man on the phone with eyes and a mouth identical to her husband's when he was young, Au Thi Minh immediately believed he was her son, lost since 1994.

One morning in late november 2025, Au Thi Minh's phone (64 years old, Na Sam town, Van Lang district) rang continuously. Her second son reported: "A man in China is looking for his family, and the information matches our eldest brother."

A video call connected immediately. Au Thi Minh could not hold back tears as she saw the face of the unfamiliar yet deeply familiar man. "Just by looking at his face, I knew he was my flesh and blood," the mother said.

Memories flooded back to 2/9/1994, at Dong Kinh stadium (formerly Lang Son town). Au Thi Minh brought her eldest son, Hoang, then 7 years old, to sell tea. At noon, under the scorching sun, she told her son to wait in the shade. However, when she returned, the child had vanished.

For 31 years, Au Thi Minh's family lived with torment. At one point, distraught, the mother considered pretending to be insane to go to China to find her son but was dissuaded. In october 2025, after three decades of despair, Au Thi Minh discussed with her son: "This Tet (Lunar New Year), we will set up an altar for your brother." She did not expect that just one week later, a miracle would appear.

Across the border, Hoang (known by his Chinese name Tran Phuc Hung, 38 years old) had never forgotten his homeland. He recounted that year he was led by strangers, walking over many hills and mountains, and when he awoke, he found himself in a strange place. Fortunately, he was loved by his adoptive father, but Hoang always knew he was Vietnamese, named Hoang, and his father's name was Khanh.

"Since I was 21 years old, I tried to return to Hanoi many times but had to turn back because I didn't know the specific address," Hoang said. This time, thanks to a social media channel for finding relatives, a clue about his family in Lang Son was finally connected.

During the fateful call, Chu Duc Khanh (63 years old, Au Thi Minh's husband) tremblingly asked for a distinguishing feature: "When you left, was the nail on your right pinky finger healed?" Hoang raised his hand, showing an old scar on the screen: "At that time, my nail was torn off." Chu Duc Khanh burst into tears; that was the injury from a car door two days before his son went missing.

The reunion at Huu Nghi border gate in late november was filled with tears. Hoang rushed into his mother's arms, speaking in the broken Vietnamese he had just re-learned: "Mother, your flesh is also my flesh. My home is in your womb."

For the past month, Hoang has lived surrounded by his family, visiting relatives and his maternal grandmother's grave. He plans to travel between the two countries to both care for his birth parents and fulfill his filial duty to his aging adoptive father in China.

"Our lives are now complete," Au Thi Minh said, embracing her two sons, closing a 31-year journey of tears.