An American father reunited with his Thai daughter after being separated for 48 years.

Terry Raymond Housley, 72, is a retired soldier who was stationed in Nakhon Phanom province, Thailand, during the Vietnam War 50 years ago.

He had a Thai girlfriend, Suphaphorn, who was then pregnant with Kanchana Milkevitch, who is now 49 years old, and he treated her like his own child when she was born.

The ex-military man helped raise Kanchana until he had to return to his home country after the war.

Terry and Kanchana, despite almost five decades of being apart, communicated and met again in Buriram province, Thailand in a heartwarming reunion.

Footage shows Terry walking through the hotel and saying ‘I'm sorry' as he approaches Kanchana. He saluted his adoptive kid before they embraced and she gave him a red rose and a marigold garland.

Kanchana said: ‘My biological father rejected us and left my mum while she was pregnant with me. I felt like my real father was Terry who helped take care of me until I was a toddler.'

She added she had been looking for him and in 2019 they reconnected through social media.

Kanchana said: ‘We agreed to meet again but the pandemic delayed our plans.'

On July 31, Terry arrived at Suvarnabhumi International Airport. He took a bus to Buriram but was lost until the two finally met with the help of hotel staff.

Kanchana said: ‘Even though he is not my biological father, he took care of me from when I was in my mother's womb until I was one year old, so I felt a strong connection as if I were his child.

‘He plans to return on August 21, so he will meet with my mother at our house and stay until then.

‘If the opportunity arises, I might travel to meet him in the United States.'