Phuong Oanh, owner of Oanh Cua restaurant in Cau Ong Lanh Ward, said the incident took place on the evening of September 29, when two Singaporean tourists visited the restaurant for dinner.
About two to three hours after leaving, the pair returned and told staff they had misplaced an envelope containing more than VND 40 million, which they had brought to cover expenses during their trip to Vietnam.
Staff immediately checked security camera footage but found no trace of the envelope.
The tourists believed the small envelope might have been accidentally mixed with used tissues, food containers or other rubbish cleared from their table.
By then, the restaurant's waste had already been collected and taken to a nearby disposal point.
Employees began searching through individual rubbish bags inside the restaurant before moving outside to inspect three large rubbish trucks.
Nearby sanitation workers joined the effort, bringing empty carts to help transfer and sort through the waste.
Despite the rain, some employees climbed into the rubbish collection area while others examined each bag. The search lasted more than an hour but failed to locate the envelope.
Oanh said the tourists had explained that the missing money represented almost their entire travel budget, prompting staff to make every effort to recover it.
However, after returning to their hotel, the tourists checked their belongings again and discovered the envelope at the bottom of a paper shopping bag.
The following day, they returned to the restaurant for another meal and personally thanked the employees who had helped them.
They also left a handwritten thank-you letter in English and Vietnamese, expressing appreciation for the staff's efforts, particularly their willingness to search through the rubbish.
As a gesture of gratitude, the tourists gave the employees VND 2 million (USD 76).
The incident subsequently attracted attention after the story was shared.
Oanh said her employees regularly helped customers retrieve forgotten belongings, including rings and orthodontic appliances.
She added that the restaurant always tried to assist customers facing difficulties, whether Vietnamese or foreign visitors, and considered helping people recover lost possessions part of good customer service.
