Nguyễn Kiều Trang, the teenager who had been missing since Wednesday. — Photo courtesy of the girl's family

HCM CITY — A 13-year-old girl from Hà Nội who had been missing since July 23 has been found safe, her mother confirmed on Saturday.

Nguyễn Kiều Trang, residing in Lạc Long Quân Street, Tây Hồ Ward, Hà Nội, reportedly left home at around 8.15pm on Wednesday.

According to her family, she boarded a passenger bus to Hà Tĩnh Province, and later continued her journey to HCM City on another coach driven by a man identified as Tòng.

On Friday, a woman working at the Ngã Tư Ga Bus Station on National Highway 1A in HCM City reported seeing a girl speaking with a northern accent who said she had just arrived from Hà Nội.

The girl expressed a desire to travel to a location in Tây Ninh Province, but bus operators refused to transport her due to the absence of a guardian.

She declined to take a public bus and insisted on hiring a motorbike taxi, claiming that a family member would pick her up in Tây Ninh.

Although the station's CCTV footage was unclear, Tòng – who had previously transported Trang – reviewed the recording and confirmed that the girl in the video was her.

He recalled that because she had no money, he gave her VNĐ100,000 to pay for a motorbike taxi.

The motorbike taxi driver, who was the last known person to accompany Trang, stated that upon reaching the agreed-upon location in Tây Ninh, a man and a woman were already waiting to receive the girl.

Following the incident, Trang’s mother, Nguyễn Thùy Dương, began her own search. After locating the driver’s phone number, she called him and sent a photo of her daughter. He confirmed it was the same girl he had transported.

Dương then filed a police report and received assistance from local authorities.

Subsequently, she learned that her daughter had returned to HCM City. On Saturday, Dương confirmed that her daughter had been found and was safe.

She was on her way from Tây Ninh back to HCM City to pick her up. Authorities confirmed the girl’s identity as Trang.

"Thank you to everyone who helped. I’m truly grateful that I’ve finally found my child," Dương said emotionally.

Dương also shared that police had located her daughter’s phone at a repair shop in Hà Nội. The device contained text messages exchanged between Trang and a man residing in Cambodia. — VNS