Around midday, the phone of Nguyen Minh Phuoc, born in 1961 and living in Quang Duc Hamlet, Cam Lam Commune, Khanh Hoa Province, lit up with a message from a stranger asking whether he was searching for a missing family member.

He calmly confirmed the information and waited patiently, hoping the caller might provide a useful lead. Over the years, his family has received many similar messages and phone calls, but none have led them to the person they have been searching for.

The person Phuoc is seeking is Le Thi Nguyen Ngan, born in 1976, his niece. He explained: "Ngan is the second daughter of my older sister, Nguyen Thi Ai Vinh, born in 1954. My sister lost contact with her daughter 48 years ago and has never heard from her since. After many years of searching without success, my sister came to believe she was simply unlucky in her efforts to find her child. She asked me to continue the search on her behalf in the hope that we might finally find Ngan."

According to Phuoc, Vinh lost her daughter in 1978. At the time, she regularly carried vegetables by train from Suoi Cat Station, now part of Cam Hiep Nam Commune in Cam Lam District, to Nha Trang Station to sell them.

On one trip, she brought along two-year-old Nguyen Ngan. Upon arriving at Nha Trang Station, she became separated from her daughter in the crowd near the Ma Vong roundabout.

When she realized her child was gone, she frantically searched throughout the station and nearby Phuong Son Market but found no trace of her.

"Ngan's mother was still very young then," Phuoc recalled. "When she lost her daughter, she was overwhelmed by panic and grief and did not know how or where to report the disappearance. Our family could only split up and search for her everywhere. Later, when radio and television became more widespread, and eventually social media and missing-person programs emerged, we began submitting applications and seeking help through every available channel."

A reward of $19,200

Losing her daughter left Vinh devastated. For nearly 50 years, she has never stopped thinking about her child or hoping for news of her.

In recent years, after posting public appeals and contacting organizations that help reunite separated families, many people have reached out claiming they might be Nguyen Ngan.

The family met several women who believed they could be Vinh's daughter. However, DNA tests showed none were biologically related.

Le Thi Nguyen Thuy, born in 1975 and Vinh's eldest daughter, said her mother now lives with her. Every day she witnesses her mother's longing and determination to find the missing child.

For that reason, Thuy and her uncle Phuoc have continued the search on Vinh's behalf.

Because Ngan disappeared when she was only a toddler, the family has no photographs of her. When posting appeals online, Phuoc uses photographs of Thuy as a young woman, believing the sisters would likely share similar facial features.

Phuoc said: "When Ngan went missing, she was about two years old. She had short bobbed hair and was wearing a red long-sleeved shirt, white trousers with small pink floral patterns and brown plastic sandals. She was unwell at the time and had red spots on her arms, legs and face. Most notably, she had a scar about two centimeters long on the right side of her head. Even after nearly half a century, our family has never given up hope. If anyone can provide information that leads us to Ngan, and DNA testing confirms a biological relationship, we would like to express our gratitude with a reward of 500 million VND ($19,200)."

Tran Minh Te, head of Quang Duc Hamlet in Cam Lam Commune, confirmed that Nguyen Minh Phuoc is a local resident and that his family has long been searching for a niece who disappeared as a small child.

"Although the child vanished when she was only two years old, and we do not know many details about her today, it is true that Mr. Phuoc's family has been searching for a missing daughter and niece for decades. I am also aware of his recent efforts to publicize the search," Te said.

Readers with information regarding Le Thi Nguyen Ngan, born in 1976, are encouraged to contact VietNamNet's hotline at 0923.457.788.

Information may also be provided directly to Nguyen Minh Phuoc via telephone at 0385.196.754.

Ha Nguyen