A six-year-old boy who was missing for five days has now been found deep in a forest in Vietnam.

Dang Tien Lam, who lives in the northwestern province of Yen Bai, was playing in a stream with his nine siblings on August 17 when he hiked into the mountains and got lost, local reports said.

He was found on Wednesday by local farmers who heard the screams of a child while clearing a cinnamon field near the forest.

Lam was found sitting in cassava bushes about 10 kilometers from where he disappeared. He was so weak that he could no longer stand.

“I’m so tired, I can’t get up, please carry me up,” Lam said, according to 52-year-old farmer Ly Van Nang, who was among those who found the boy.

Lam reportedly ate leaves and wild fruits and also drank stream water.

Pictures online show locals caring for him and offering him cake after he was carried out of the forest. They show him wearing a red T-shirt and shorts that were completely dirty and with dishevelled hair.

“(The child told me) that when he got lost, he couldn’t find his way home. And the further he went, the harder it was for him to find the exit,” Mr Nang said, according to local news site Dan Tri.

Police called it a “miracle” that Lam was found alive, adding that his health was stable. “Congratulations on returning safely to your family,” they wrote in a Facebook post.

The news sparked relief on Vietnamese social media, with many congratulating Lam’s family and thanking the search team for their efforts.

Local authorities had mobilized more than 150 people to search for Lam, including police, soldiers and local volunteers.