Boy, 6, missing for five days found alive deep inside Vietnam forest

Boy was found in weak condition and unable to stand after surviving in forest alone

A six-year-old boy, who went missing in a hilly forest area in Vietnam, has been found alive after five days. It is being hailed as a “miracle” rescue.

Dang Tien Lam, who lives in the Van Yen district in northeast Vietnam, went missing on 17 August after he went to play with his siblings near a stream and decided to return home alone.

But hours after he failed to return, police were alerted and a search operation was launched to find Lam.

More than 200 people, including police officers, soldiers, militia members and local volunteers were mobilised to find the boy.

Investigators scanned surveillance footage from nearby areas to eliminate the possibility of kidnapping and also drained fish ponds and scoured streams, district head Ha Duc Anh said.

He was finally found on Wednesday after a local farmer heard faint cries in the woods as he was returning to his tent. Ly Van Nang found Lam sitting among cassava bushes. He said the boy was so exhausted and weak that he was unable to stand.

Mr Nang said the boy asked him to carry him as he could not stand up.

“I picked him up, and he said he was tired and hungry, asking if I had anything to eat,” Mr Nang recounted.

Pictures showed a mud-covered frail boy in a red T-shirt drinking juice while sitting on a chair. He was also pictured in a hospital receiving care.

Lam said he survived on leaves and wild fruit during his time in the forest, according to reports.

He was found some 6km deep into the woods from where he went missing.

The police said finding Lam alive was a “miracle” and congratulated the family for the safe return of the boy, saying “Congratulations on returning safely to your family.”

Mr Nang said, “[The boy told me] that when he got lost, he could not find his way home. And the more he walked, the more he could not find a way out.”