Police Rescue Exhausted Man Lost for Five Days in Dense Jungle

The Tu Mo Rong Commune Police have officially reunited Mr. Pham Van Toan with his family this morning, July 3. Authorities have returned his entire fortune intact and are assisting in transporting both the shaken man and his vehicle back to Lam Dong Province.

The rescue operation began yesterday morning following an urgent tip from local residents who spotted a disoriented stranger walking through the Ty Tu village forest. This rugged region features treacherous terrain scarred by jagged cliffs and deep ravines.

Local police and security personnel launched an immediate search, enduring nearly six hours of hacking through the dense jungle canopy before discovering the 49-year-old Lam Dong resident. Found starving, severely dehydrated, and on the verge of total collapse, he was rushed back to the station for emergency medical care.

Major Nguyen Van Hanh, Chief of the Tu Mo Rong Commune Police, brings breakfast noodles to Mr. Toan following his days-long jungle ordeal. Photo: Ba Thanh/Lao Dong Newspaper

Mr. Toan later explained his itinerary. He had ridden his motorbike continuously for five days. He traveled nearly 550 kilometers from Lam Dong toward Quang Ngai Province before losing his bearings. Police expanded their search radius based on his statement, eventually locating the vehicle 4.5 kilometers away.

Inside the storage compartment, officers discovered his identity card and a mobile phone. They also found a three-chi gold necklace and over 656 million VND in cash. Financial checks have also revealed an additional 515 million VND in his bank account. Mr. Toan stated these funds came from a recent land sale.

Tu Mo Rong police noted the man had wandered in a completely dissociated state. He spent half a day drifting into the jungle without food until his limbs trembled from exhaustion. Cross-verification with his home province shows Mr. Toan lives alone and struggles with mental health instability. During his five-day disappearance, his relatives had assumed he was merely visiting friends nearby. They only learned of his 550-kilometer drift when authorities contacted them.

The rescue party located Mr. Toan just as a powerful storm began lashing the mountain. Torrential rains and violent winds created immediate landslide risks. The Tu Mo Rong Commune People’s Committee has just issued an emergency commendation. The award honors the entire police department and the village security chief. It also recognizes the three officers who led the jungle trek.