College Student Tracks Down Vietnamese Woman Who Lost $1,500 and Photo of Grandkids

We can add Cypress College student Luan Nguyen to the list of Vietnamese Americans who have a big heart after he returned the lost possessions of an elderly woman he met in Garden Grove, California.

In a Facebook post on Christmas Eve, Nguyen said he was headed to a Bank of America at the corner of Westminster and Brookhurst to withdraw money when a 75-year-old Vietnamese woman approached him and asked if he would buy some flowers from her for $20.

Nguyen told NextShark that the elderly woman, who has dementia and was recently released from the hospital, lives with her 82-year-old husband and she now sells flowers to make ends meet.

Nguyen purchased the flowers, but it wasn’t until he got home when he discovered a photo of two young girls and $1,500 inside the bouquet.

He returned a few minutes later with the picture frame and cash, but the woman was nowhere to be found.

But with the help of the internet and the power of social media, the two were happily reunited on Monday.

“She claimed that it was the money that her grandkids chipped together,” Nguyen told NextShark. “When she was in the hospital, she had $1,700 with her. She spent $200 on flowers. And had $1,500 left.”

Her dementia caused her to unknowingly misplace the items inside the bouquet of flowers, and when they finally spoke on the phone, Nguyen said she hardly remembered meeting him.

“I guess those two girls must be her favorite grandkids,” Nguyen said. “She said she has the picture with her all the time.”

Netizens have praised him for his “kind heart,” with one user commenting, “You’re going receive good karma for all of this bro.”

We’re still in the midst of the holiday season, and Nguyen said he hopes to inspire people to make a difference with a good deed.

Featured Image via Facebook / Luan Nguyen