The story of a 6-year-old boy in Hung Yen who got lost and was protected by his pet dog, sleeping together overnight, has been widely shared on social media recently.

A number of photos and videos featured local people finding the lost boy, with a dog next to him. Even when many strangers approached, the dog was not scared but stayed by his side to protect his "little master". 

Netizens have left many comments on this touching story. "Dogs are loyal friends. This story is clear proof of that," said one reader. 

"Seeing the dog attached to the boy really moved me. It is great that the dog was there to protect its owner," said another writer. 

"So lucky the boy is. The dog was so good to protect the child through the night," said one commenter. 

Truc Anh, born in 1985, in Ngoc Long commune in Yen My district in Hung Yen province, told VietNamNet that Do Anh Tuan is her only son.

When she woke up at about 1 am, she did not see her son beside her. The couple got up to look for him and saw the house door ajar, but neither Tuan nor the family dog were inside.

"Usually before sleeping, I securely lock the door, but that night it might have been loosely done so he could get out. It seemed that when he left home, the dog followed him," she recounted.

In a state of panic and fear, the couple shouted for help and asked the neighbors to assist in searching. The search for the lost boy lasted 5-6 hours without any clues. Truc Anh asked relatives to post a piece of news on social media, calling for the online community's help to find him.

"I was on tenterhooks all night, extremely scared. But there was a ray of hope: both my son and the dog weren’t at home,” she said, explaining that she thought the dog might be together with her son.

At 8.30 am, Anh and her husband were informed that Tuan and his dog were found in a residential area in the adjacent commune, Lieu Xa, in Yen My district.

"My son wandered to the next commune, and both he and the dog were sleeping in an orchard, surrounded by dense banana trees,” she said.

“I heard from locals that at 6 am, two men going to set bird traps passed through the orchard found him and a dog. At first, they thought the boy was beaten by the dog and was injured. When getting closer, they saw the boy lifting his head and realized that he was just lost," Truc Anh said.

When locals discovered Tuan, the dog was barking fiercely, not allowing strangers to come close. It was only when one of them whispered, "Don't worry, we'll take the boy to have a wash, feed him, so he won't be hungry," did the dog calm down and allow the people to take the boy.

"I was surprised to hear people recount this. My son was incredibly lucky to have the dog protecting him," Anh said.

At 11am on the same day, after completing formalities, the local authorities handed over the son and the dog to Anh and her husband. Embracing her son, she breathed a sigh of relief and was profoundly grateful for everyone’s help. She was also thankful for the intelligent and loyal dog.

The family dog, a German Shepherd named Mic, was a gift from a friend in Van Lam district six months ago.

"Mic is three years old but has only been with us for half a year. The day my husband brought him home, he rode a motorbike, and Mic ran behind him for 10 kilometers," Anh said.

Mic, smart and loyal, became the close friend of little Tuan. Anh confided that Tuan has mild hyperactivity and he sometimes goes out without his parents’ permission.

"Whenever Tuan leaves the house, Mic usually tags along to protect him, even though we've never trained the dog before," Anh said.

On the first day the dog came to live with the family, as soon as it saw Tuan, Mic rushed over and barked wildly. His father then tied him up, and said, "This is your little master. You have to be friends, not bark at him."

After that, the dog became attached to Tuan and was very friendly, and always listened to the boy.

Thanh Minh - Trong Tung