18 lost iPhones find their way back to owner in Hanoi

Duc, the owner of a phone repair shop on Ho Tung Mau Street, said that at around 1 a.m. on Wednesday, he was returning home from work with his friend while carrying several bags filled with items, including expensive phones sent to him for repair.

When Duc got home, he realized that the bag with 18 iPhones was gone. He retraced the route that he had taken home in the hope of finding the bag, but couldn’t find it. He also posted notices on social media groups and communities, hoping that someone might have found the missing bag.

“In the bag are the latest model iPhones with no sim card installed and no passcode, waiting to be returned to their owners,” Duc said.

A bag with 18 iPhones. Photo by Hang Bui

The next morning, after hours had gone by and there was no news about the lost phones, Duc called the owners and told them about the incident. He proposed a total compensation of around VND200 million ($8,448).

At 2 p.m. on Wednesday, Duc saw a post online saying that someone had found the bag of phones and was looking for its owner. He immediately contacted Bui Hang, 32, who lives in the Nam Tu Liem District.

Hang said her uncle, who is a motorbike taxi driver, had found the bag at 1:30 a.m. Wednesday near the My Dinh Bus Station, while on his way back home. At the time, there was no one on the road so he took the bag home and asked Hang to make an online post to find the owner.

Nguyen Duc receives the lost iPhones back. Photo by Hang Bui

Hang, who has returned lost items to their owners many times, said that the property was of high value and so she immediately made the post on her account. After over half a day, no one contacted her, so she continued to share the post on social media networks. Five minutes later, Duc contacted Hang and sent her documents with the specifications for the 18 iPhones for verification. He then went to meet her in person to retrieve the lost phones.

Duc thanked Hang and offered her a reward, but she refused. “I’m already happy seeing the lost items returned to their owner,” she said “I don’t need anything in return.”