Huu Kiem commune police announced on the evening of 26/12/2024 that they had coordinated with Lao authorities to reunite Xong Co Li and Ngo Van Long with their relatives, returning them home to Xieng Khouang province, Laos.

Earlier, on the afternoon of 24/12/2024, residents of Khe Ty village, Huu Kiem commune, discovered Li, a Lao national, and Long, an ethnic Hmong child. Long, originally from Thai Nguyen, had lived in Laos with his parents for many years, both residing in Xieng Khouang province. The two children were lost and could not remember their way home, prompting villagers to report them to the police.

Li (second from right) was taken back to Laos by relatives. *Photo: Police provided*

Huu Kiem commune police dispatched a task force to Khe Ty village, bringing the two children back to the station. At that time, Li and Long were hungry, exhausted, and unable to speak Vietnamese.

Speaking with a Hmong police officer from Huu Kiem commune, the two children explained that on 18/12/2024, while playing near the border, they had wandered into communes of the former Ky Son district and could not remember how to get back. During their 6 days lost, they had to beg for food from locals or pick fruit along the way to eat.

Long (third from left) was handed over to relatives by Huu Kiem commune police. *Photo: Police provided*

Upon receiving the information, Li and Long's relatives contacted Huu Kiem commune police. They stated that the two children had left home on 18/12/2024, moved near the Nam Can border gate area, and then got lost. The family had searched for many days without success.

Today, the children's relatives sent a letter of thanks to Huu Kiem commune police.

Huu Kiem is a border commune, formerly part of Ky Son district, bordering Xieng Khouang province.

Duc Hung