As if there had never been a separation: The 93-year-old mother found lost Cu Ti on the night of Mid-Autumn Festival 1975.

Mr. Hai lost his family during the Mid-Autumn Festival in 1975. 50 years later, also during the days close to the Mid-Autumn Festival, thanks to As if there had never been a separation, he found his family.

Mr. Phat and his family are happy to reunite in As if there was never a separation - Photo: BTC

Watch episode 193 of As If There Never Was a Parting without many tears but a special reunion.

Mr. Hai is happy because his mother is now 93 years old, hard of hearing, sometimes forgetful but still remembers him and the most obedient son in the family.

"This meeting was too difficult, too long and the memory left nothing but longing, but the ending was still very beautiful when the mother was still alive. That was also the most wonderful thing about the story," viewers of the show wrote.

The child lost his sister on the Mid-Autumn Festival in As if there had never been a separation

50 years ago, a boy about 5 years old and his sister went to receive Mid-Autumn Festival gifts. They went to a very large and crowded school. When they were leaving, the two sisters lost each other.

The boy was taken to the police station in Ward 7, District 11, where he stayed for about four months before Mr. Ngo Van Boi took him home. He was adopted by his sister, Mrs. Ngo Thi Nam, who was still single. From then on, the boy was named Ngo Van Hai.

Trailer As if there was never a separation episode 193 Lost in the Mid-Autumn Festival

50 years later, Ngo Van Hai is now a middle-aged man, thin and miserable, living in Cu Chi, Ho Chi Minh City.

Every day, he goes to two places: his wife's house and his adoptive mother's house - a small house that the government supported with money to build - to burn incense and worship.

Hai’s life was hard from childhood to adulthood. His adoptive mother worked regularly, he lived with his grandparents, doing all kinds of jobs like herding cows, pulling weeds… to earn a living and help his grandparents. When he was a little older, he worked as a bricklayer, building houses for other people.

Later, when his mother got sick and was bedridden, he only dared to take on nearby projects. In the morning, he took care of her meals and laundry before going to work. At noon, he came home, fed her, and continued working until the afternoon. He took care of his mother for 2 years before she passed away.

Mother and child reunion day - Photo: Organizing Committee

"I was very strong back then. Now I've lost," he said sadly on the show. The man rarely confided in others, suppressing his desire to find his biological family while his adoptive mother was still alive.

Mrs. Nguyen Thi Le Thu, Mr. Hai's wife, shared: "If he finds his family, I'll be happy for him. Even though he's old, he's happy to find relatives."

"Why is Cu Ti so old?"

Every lost case has its own ironic reasons. The case of episode 193 of As if there was never a separation is no exception.

Mr. Ngo Van Hai's real name is Tran Tan Phat, born in 1971, and is called Cu Ti at home. His father is Tran Que and his mother is Le Thi That, a street vendor. That has 5 boys and 5 girls. Every day she works hard to earn a living to support her children.

The first irony is that Mr. Hai’s house is in Ward 26, Tan Binh (old), only 300 meters from where he got lost. But the police station in Ward 7, District 11 is the place that received him, 2km from his house.

Perhaps because of this, even though his mother searched everywhere, even went on TV to look for him, he was still missing.

The second irony was that 10 years ago, one of Mrs. That's children brought home a man from Can Tho , saying that this was Phat. When Nhu, who had never been separated, came to Mrs. That's youngest daughter, she also insisted that she had found her relatives, and then there was information that Mrs. That had passed away. The search ended.

However, another son of Mrs. That, Mr. Tien, convinced his mother to write a letter looking for him to send to As if there had never been a separation and did not inform the other siblings.

Mrs. Le Thi That - Ngo Van Hai's biological mother, although no longer very lucid, she still always remembers him - Photo: BTC

He said that although everyone in the house considered Mr. Phat (fake) as a family member, they found it difficult to get along and could not find any common ground. After that, this person also left.

Fortunately, Mr. Hai's consolation is that his biological mother is still alive. Mrs. That is now 93 years old, living in District 12 (old), Ho Chi Minh City.

She told me in detail about Cu Ti: "The ninth son is the most obedient in the family. He sits at this door. I told him to sit here while I cook rice. Every now and then I would call out, "Where is Cu Ti?" and I would hear his voice say, "Here I am." Mr. Hai heard his mother talk about him, his eyes filled with tears.

Mr. Danh (who used to work as a police officer at Ward 7 Police Station, District 11) and Mr. Boi (Hai's foster uncle) recounted the time when Hai got lost and had to stay at the police station until someone adopted him.

When she went on stage and looked at Mr. Hai, Mrs. That exclaimed: "Oh, Cu Ti, why are you so old now? Let me touch your ears. See if this is your mother, the woman carrying a basket of bread to sell? Right?". Everyone burst out laughing at the "innocence" of the 93-year-old mother.

Cu Ti is now a man over 50 years old, but in his mind his mother is still a pitiful little child.

September 2025

10 discoveries.

611 new information headers were processed.

52 new search records were created.

September Income and Expenditure Report As If There Was Never a Separation

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HOANG LE

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/nhu-chua-he-co-cuoc-chia-ly-nguoi-me-gia-93-tuoi-tim-duoc-cu-ti-di-lac-dem-trung-thu-1975-20251005225200057.htm