Host mother of Vietnamese exchange student Sunnie Nguyen says her clothes and shoes are gone from her wardrobe

One of four missing Vietnamese exchange students appears to have packed clothes and shoes before disappearing, her host family says.

A Vietnamese exchange student reported missing more than three days ago appears to have packed clothes and shoes before disappearing, her host family says.

Mystery surrounds the disappearance of four Vietnamese exchange students in the past month, including one teen who vanished 30 days ago.

The family hosting 17-year-old Sunnie Nguyen says they reported her missing late on Tuesday night after last seeing her before she went to bed on Monday evening.

Host mother May Zervaas told The Advertiser on Friday that Sunnie’s wardrobe had been cleared of all her shoes and most of her clothing.

Ms Zervaas said Sunnie’s phone appears to have been disconnected and her social media “wiped”.

She also could not find the teen’s passport at the South Plympton home where she had been living since arriving from Vietnam in July.

“I’m hoping that she is going to be OK,” Ms Zervaas said.

“I’m just thinking it’s a plan (to leave) because why the shoes is not there? When I open her wardrobe … there’s lots of empty hangers. There’s only four clothes hanging there. She took all the shoes that she had.”

Host mother May Zervaas has reported Vietnamese student Sunnie Nguyen, 17, missing. Picture: 7NEWS

Sunnie is one of four Vietnamese teenagers who have been reported to SA Police as missing between December and January.

A police spokesman said there was “nothing currently identified in any investigation that would indicate these youths are in immediate danger”.

“All lines of inquiries in the investigations indicate that some of these youths may have travelled interstate and still remain there,” he said.

“SA Police are working with interstate policing counterparts to help locate these youths.”

Sunnie’s visa was valid for another three years and Ms Zervaas said she appeared to be “happy” with her life in Adelaide.

Asked if she could think of a reason Sunnie may run away, Ms Zervaas said she had questioned the teen on Monday night about whether she had a boyfriend, after hearing her speaking on the phone with someone with a “boy’s voice” days earlier.

“She said ‘No Mum’,” Ms Zervaas said.

Missing Vietnamese exchange student Sunnie Nguyen, 17. Picture 7NEWS

Sunnie was reported missing late on Tuesday. Picture 7NEWS

On Tuesday morning Ms Zervaas had thought Sunnie was sleeping in but eventually entered her bedroom around midday to discover she was not there.

She called Sunnie’s phone but it was disconnected, as was the phone of one of her friends.

Ms Zervaas said she had spoken with an emergency contact at Hamilton Secondary College, where Sunnie had been studying, who contacted her Vietnamese exchange agency.

However, Ms Zervaas said she had been told they had not been able to reach Sunnie’s parents.

Ms Zervaas has not spoken with them either.

“Hopefully they know that she is missing,” she said.

The Advertiser understands the four students did not all attend the same school in Adelaide, and may not all have been attending a public school.

An Education Department spokeswoman said it had been “made aware of a small number of students that left their homestays without permission”.

“In each case, the department has contacted their families and the police immediately,” she said.

“This is concerning for all involved and we would ask the students to make contact with the police to ensure their wellbeing.”

In 2023 about 430 students were enrolled in South Australian government schools from Vietnam through the Education Department’s international student program.

The spokeswoman said the program, run in 150 public schools, has “specific terms and conditions in relation to the participation of the students, agents and homestays”.

“Students also have to comply with visa conditions,” she said.

“The program has seen hundreds of students arrive for various periods over the last year, with Vietnamese students being one of the largest cohorts.”

She noted that Catholic and independent schools also host international students.

Vietnamese Women’s Association SA founder Lien Nguyen-Navas said she was contacted on Thursday by one of the host families to “spread the word” in the hope of finding the students.

“I was shocked to hear about it,” Ms Lien Nguyen-Navas said.

“It is a concern no doubt.”

She said the students should contact their host families as soon as possible “to take away their worry”.

Originally published as Host mother of Vietnamese exchange student Sunnie Nguyen says her clothes and shoes are gone from her wardrobe