In late 2013, a complete stranger sold scrap vendor Huynh Thi Anh Hong an iron box for 100,000VND ($4.70). When Hong opened the to see if she could sell it, she found a staggering 5.2 million yen (US$50,830) inside the rusty box, reports Thanh Nien.
Unaware of the value of the banknotes, she distributed a few amongst her neighbors and word about the find spread like wildfire. A line quickly sprung up outside her home with many demanding some of the money, with some “gangsters” even threatening her for the cash, she told Thanh Nien.
“I really didn’t know what kind of money it was…I was very scared... I did not dare to sleep,” said Hong.
Fearing for her safety, Hong handed over the cash to local police and an investigation is underway to check if the money is legal tender. The police have also issued a warning to those who would surround her home.
Hong has been collecting scrap metal for 14 years and said she would never want to keep something that doesn’t belong to her. She and her husband rent a small house in an alleyway in Tan Binh District and told the newspaper that the only things important to her are being healthy and sending her two children to school.
Nguyen Duc Chanh, a lawyer from the Ho Chi Minh City Bar Association said that if the money isn’t claimed after one year then it will be given to the finder. However, the full amout could only be kept if it is worth less than ten months of the current minimum wage, according to current laws. Otherwise, the finder will receive the value equal to ten months' minimum wage and 50% of the value beyond. The rest will go to the state budget.
Let’s hope that Hong is rewarded for her genuine honesty. It all comes down to good karma at the end of the day!
