The banks of the Lam River have witnessed many tragedies, but few have shaken the communities of Nghe An and Ha Tinh quite like the events that unfolded this past week. On the night of October 13, 2025, a father from Kim Lien commune, Nghe An, made a desperate decision that would leave families, neighbors, and authorities reeling with shock and sorrow. By the afternoon of October 15, the grim search for three missing family members had come to an end, with rescue teams recovering the bodies of a father and his two young daughters from the river’s current.
According to reports from Kinhtedothi and Bao Nguoi Lao Dong, the incident began late in the evening of October 13. Locals spotted a man, later identified as V.V.D. (born 1993), riding his motorbike onto Ben Thuy Bridge—the structure that links the provinces of Nghe An and Ha Tinh. He stopped, embraced his two daughters, V.H.B. (born 2020) and V.G.T. (born 2021), and then, in a moment that would haunt witnesses and loved ones alike, leaped into the Lam River with his children. The only evidence left behind on the bridge: a motorbike with license plate 37M1-897.61 and two small school bags.
Authorities were quickly alerted. As Bao Nguoi Lao Dong details, the local police and the Fire Prevention and Rescue Team of Nghe An province mobilized immediately, deploying boats, canoes, and a host of volunteers from across the region. The search began in earnest, with rescue teams scouring both sides of Ben Thuy Bridge and expanding their efforts downstream as the hours ticked by with no sign of the missing trio.
It wasn’t until nearly 15:00 on October 15 that the first breakthrough came. Rescue forces recovered two bodies from the Lam River, later identified as the two girls, V.H.B. and V.G.T., near the Cua Hoi Bridge in Nghe An, as reported by Kinhtedothi and corroborated by Phap Luat Online. The discovery brought a wave of grief to their family and the broader community, but the search for their father continued for another hour and a half.
At approximately 16:30 that same day, the body of Mr. V.V.D. was found near the Xuan An shipbuilding factory in Ha Tinh, about 10 kilometers from where the tragedy began. Volunteer groups from Thanh Hoa, Da Nang, and Ha Tinh, alongside official rescue teams, worked tirelessly in the search—a testament to the solidarity and compassion that can emerge even in the darkest of times.
The story behind this heart-wrenching incident is as complex as it is tragic. According to Bao Nguoi Lao Dong and Phap Luat Online, Mr. D. and his wife, Ms. B.T.Y. (born 1999), first met while working abroad. Upon returning to Vietnam, they married and settled in Kim Lien commune, raising two daughters, now aged five and four. However, recent marital conflicts had driven a wedge between the couple. Ms. Y. had taken the children to her parents’ home in Hung Yen province, seeking distance from the discord. On October 13, Mr. D. went to collect his daughters from their maternal grandparents and picked them up from school earlier than usual. That afternoon, he called his wife to inform her of his intention to jump from the bridge with their children, even sending her a location pin of where he planned to do it.
When Ms. Y. and other family members arrived at Ben Thuy Bridge, guided by the location Mr. D. had sent, they found his motorbike and the school bags but no sign of the trio. Panic and dread set in. As Phap Luat Online recounts, Ms. Y. rushed from Hung Yen to Nghe An, her grief echoing along the riverbanks as she prayed for a miracle that, heartbreakingly, would not come. The pain was shared by relatives and friends, many of whom gathered at the river’s edge, hoping against hope for a different outcome.
Local authorities responded quickly, not only with search and rescue efforts but also with support for the grieving family. As Mr. Le Trung Hoa, Chairman of the People’s Committee of Kim Lien commune, told Phap Luat Online, officials visited the family to “understand the situation and offer condolences.” Mr. Hoa added, “Mr. D. and his wife had previously worked abroad before marrying. In recent times, they had been living separately.”
The search itself was a massive community effort. Alongside the official rescue teams, numerous volunteer groups and local residents joined in, some traveling from as far as Thanh Hoa and Da Nang. Their commitment was unwavering, braving swift currents and long hours in a bid to bring closure to a devastated family. The scene on the riverbanks was somber, with many villagers watching the proceedings in silence, their faces etched with sorrow and disbelief.
By the afternoon of October 15, the three victims’ bodies were recovered and, following necessary procedures, returned to their family for burial. The entire ordeal has left an indelible mark on the community and raised painful questions about the pressures facing families, especially those navigating the challenges of migration, separation, and economic hardship. While the precise motivations that led to Mr. D.’s actions may never be fully understood, the tragedy has prompted an outpouring of sympathy and support for the bereaved, as well as renewed calls for greater attention to mental health and family counseling services in rural Vietnam.
The sorrow that hangs over Kim Lien commune is palpable, but so too is the sense of unity that has emerged in the wake of loss. As rescue teams, volunteers, and neighbors alike gathered to mourn and remember, the story of this family’s tragedy has become a somber reminder of the fragility of life—and the importance of community in times of unimaginable grief.
In the end, the Lam River carried away a father and his daughters, but it also brought together a region in compassion and solidarity, leaving behind not just sorrow, but a call for understanding and support for families in crisis.
