Marvel film director touts truck driver ‘hero’ for saving the dangling toddler

Hollywood director James Gunn hailed Nguyen Ngoc Manh's heroic act and called him a hero truck driver in a Twitter post this week.

Jasmine Le

lehang1997hanu@gmail.com March 06, 2021 | 13:29

	Toddler falling off 12th floor balcony discharged from hospital, with video
	Independent praises Vietnamese ‘hero’ delivery driver who caught falling baby
	Prime Minister praises 'hero' delivery driver for saving little girl falling from balcony

(Video: VNE)

The video of Manh catching a three-year-old girl who fell from a 12th floor balcony in Hanoi recently grabbed the attention not only of international news outlets like The Huffington Post and The Guardian, but also the Marvel Studios director.

Hollywood director James Gunn (Photo: Reuters)

Gunn, who directed two Marvel blockbusters, Guardians of the Galaxy and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, posted the video of the incident on Twitter on Wednesday, calling it "amazing" and calling Manh a "hero truck driver."

The video has been watched over 500,000 times and his tweet has garnered almost 9,000 likes and nearly 1,500 retweets.

James Gunn's tweet (Photo: Captured)

Many people expressed their shock and heaped praise on Manh in the comments section.

"Awesome! Glad the baby is okay, and kudos to this hero,..." @marcusnsmith wrote.

@XcabbyX said, "...Can we get a cameo from him in one of your movies?"

Gunn is set to direct the third installment of the franchise, which is scheduled for release in 2023.

Doctors said the toddler dislocated her hip after the incident, but suffered no other injuries. The baby has been discharged from the hospital Friday morning.

Hoang Hai Duc, head of pediatric orthopedics at the National Children’s Hospital told VNE that her dislocated hip has been fixed, no swelling, pain or deformation reported. The child would return to the hospital for a check-up in two or three weeks to see if her hips have regained their full function.

“This is too big a happiness for my family. On behalf of my family, I have nothing to say but a sincere thanks to all the doctors, medical staff at National Children’s Hospital for their dedicated treatment”, the girl’s mother who wants to stay anonymous told Lao Dong.

Marvel film director touts truck driver ‘hero’ for saving the dangling toddler

Manh's heroic act made international headlines (Photo: Captured)

It features on Russian news outlet (Photo: Captured)

Korean news outlet mentions the incident (Photo: Captured)

The three-year-old dislocated after falling 50 m from the balcony in an apartment complex on Nguyen Huy Tuong Street. She, fortunately, survived after Nguyen Ngoc Manh, a 31-year-old truck driver who had parked nearby, clambered up a corrugated roof and caught the falling child.

Manh, who slightly injured his arms in the ordeal, said the incident has turned his life upside down. His story was picked up by the national and international media, turning him into a celebrity overnight.

Many called him a hero to his discomfort, VNE reported.

"I don’t see myself as a hero; I just want to do good," he had said at the time.

2-year-old Vietnamese girl survives fall from 12th floor thanks to “Superhero” delivery man

A delivery man, 31, has become a real-life superhero after saving a two-year-old girl as she falls from the 12th floor of a 16-story building ...

Tet gifts handed over to policy beneficiaries, the needy nationwide

Leaders paid visits and presented gifts to policy beneficiaries, workers and poor households nationwide ahead of the upcoming Lunar New Year (Tet) Festival, the biggest ...