Vietnamese-American finds long-lost brother through national database

Police in Binh Phuoc Province’s Loc Ninh District said Tuesday they assisted the 66-year-old in locating her brother, Pham Van Dung, 61, a local.

Minh said her parents died when she was 19 in 1975 and she moved to the U.S., but her brother stayed with a relative in HCMC.

Pham Thi Minh (R) and Pham Quang Dung reunite in Binh Phuoc Province after being apart for 47 years. Photo by VnExpress/Van Tram

She lost contact with him after moving to the U.S. despite numerous attempts to reach him.

She said she remembered her brother’s full name, year of birth and his birthplace, Loc Ninh District.

Loc Ninh was part of Binh Long Province and then Song Be, and is now part of Binh Phuoc.

Minh went to the Loc Ninh District police station on a Monday afternoon to inquire about Dung, and officers there immediately began gathering information to help her.

They were able to locate Dung, whose background matched Minh’s description. They contacted him to arrange a reunion. He too had spent years looking for his sister.

Dung and Minh’s families pose with local officials at the Loc Ninh District police station in Binh Phuoc Province on November 14, 2022. Photo by VnExpress/Van Tram

The basic information of all Vietnamese citizens is digitized and stored in the national population database system.

Authorities collect full name, date of birth, gender, hometown, ethnicity, religion, nationality, permanent residence, temporary residence, marital status, blood type, identity number, and parents and siblings’ details.