Vietnamese boy rescues three children from drowning

Vu Van Hung (left) receives a certificate of merit from a local leader in Thanh Hoa Province, north-central Vietnam, on April 8, 2019. Photo: Ha Dong / Tuoi Tre

Vu Van Hung was preparing to work in his family’s garden on Sunday when he heard loud cries for help from the Chu River, which is around 100 meters away from his house.

As Hung rushed to the river and saw three schoolboys struggling in the water, he did not hesitate to jump into it to rescue them.

“I grew up right by this river so I learned how to swim when I was a child,” Hung told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper.

“I am very happy to have managed to rescue all three of them.”

The children are all from Tho Xuong Middle School, located in Ngoc Lac District, where the young boy currently lives with his mother.

After learning of the selfless action from Hung, Pham Van Dat, deputy chairman of Ngoc Lac, on Monday gave the 15-year-old boy a certificate of merit and VND3 million (US$130) in cash for his bravery.

The district administration also requested that relevant agencies focus on teaching local students how to swim to minimize the number of drowning deaths in the locality.

Vu Van Hung poses with his certificate of merit in Thanh Hoa Province, north-central Vietnam, on April 8, 2019. Photo: Ha Dong / Tuoi Tre

Hung, now in ninth grade at Phuc Thinh Middle School, is the second child in a poor family of three.

Despite poverty, Hung always tries hard at school and is known by his teachers and friends for his hardworking attitude.

Vietnam recorded around 2,000 child drownings in 2018, according to the Ministry of Labor, War Invalids, and Social Affairs.

Currently, swimming is not a compulsory subject in many schools in the Southeast Asian country.

VNF ( TTO )