Jamie Taggart, of Cove, Argyll, missing on Vietnam botanist trip Searches are under way for a Scots botanist missing in Vietnam for more than five weeks. Enquiries by his family revealed that the 41-year-old had not been seen since November 2, when his rucksack and passport were found at a guest house in the town of Sapa. Local police and the British embassy in Hanoi were informed of his disappearance and searches of the area have been carried out. Mr Taggart runs Linn Botanic Gardens in the village of Cove on the Rosneath peninsula near Helensburgh. He also serves his community as a retained firefighter. His father, Jim Taggart, found out his son was missing when he failed to appear on a scheduled flight home to Scotland on November 29. The botanist, who is a keen runner, arrived at a guest house in Sapa on October 30 and left on a motorbike taxi to explore the hills. Mr Taggart told BBC Radio Scotland that he had very limited knowledge about the situation. After arriving, Mr Taggart sent a handful of text messages to his father before the contact stopped. The missing man's father said: "The last text message said exactly where he was going. He discussed it with me before. I assumed his mobile phone had failed. Mr Taggart said his son was on his own on the trip but had been to that area two years ago and knew his way around. He said there had already been two days of dedicated searching in the area near Sapa. Left rucksack He added: "I don't think he had got lost. Either something happened to him on his first day on the hills or there is some explanation we can only guess at. He was found to be missing because he'd left his rucksack in the guesthouse he was staying in. The guesthouse, when he didn't come back, phoned the local police. They had a look and didn't see him. He had left his passport behind. I understand that when travelling in Vietnam you have to have identity. He might have deliberately left it, knowing my son, in case he lost it on the hill. He is now actively being looked for. The missing man's father said the Foreign Office is "on the case" while various people, including Lord McFall and Argyll and Bute Lib Dem MP Alan Reid, were also said to be in touch with the authorities. Prayers have been said for Mr Taggart at Craigrownie Church. A Scottish Fire and Rescue Service spokesman said many people desperately want to see Mr Taggart return home safely. Area commander Paul Connelly, the senior officer for Argyll and Bute, said: "This is obviously an extremely difficult time for Jamie's family and friends and we can only hope there will be a positive outcome. Jamie has served his community as a dedicated and professional firefighter and is a popular member of a very close-knit and highly experienced team at Cove. There are a great many people who desperately want to see him return home safe. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Missing Abroad Freephone line on 0800 098 8485.