On the morning of 2/8, 41-year-old Phan Thanh Trinh, a resident of Da Nang, received heartfelt thanks from the family of Lein Riches, an Australian tourist. Trinh had recovered the engagement ring Riches' daughter lost at Cua Dai beach on 31/7.
After reading Riches' plea for help in a Facebook group for foreigners in Da Nang, Trinh immediately offered his assistance free of charge.
![]() |
Trinh at Cua Dai beach on 1/8. Photo: NVCC |
On the morning of 1/8, Trinh and a friend drove 30 km to Cua Dai beach, equipped with a metal detector. Initially, he suspected the ring might be in the water, as Riches had mentioned his daughter had been swimming.
After an hour of searching with no success, Trinh shifted his focus to the water's edge. His intuition proved correct: he soon found the ring buried about half a meter deep in the sand.
In a social media post, Riches expressed deep gratitude for Trinh's kindness, particularly his refusal to accept any reward. "He only accepted a hug and our tears of gratitude," Riches wrote, praising Vietnam as a wonderful country.
![]() |
The ring Trinh found. Photo: NVCC |
Trinh explained that he has helped several international visitors find lost items, motivated by genuine goodwill rather than financial gain. He even purchased the metal detector himself to aid in these endeavors. He shared with Riches his appreciation for foreign tourists choosing Vietnam as their destination, simply requesting that Riches share positive experiences about Vietnam to encourage more international tourism.
Tu Nguyen