Vietnamese doctor saves Russian seaman after sea‑borne stroke

Emergency physician Hồ Châu Anh Thư of FV Hospital received an urgent call in mid‑July 2026 about a Russian crew member on a container ship who suddenly became half‑paralyzed, likely from a stroke. The ship was on an international shipping lane near Vietnam’s waters, and conditions were rough with 2‑3 m waves.

Thư led a team that drove from the hospital to Vũng Tàu, boarded a small canoe, and covered more than 40 nautical miles to the ship’s position at the boundary of the international lane and Vietnamese waters. Using a rope ladder lowered from the vessel, the doctor and a nurse climbed onto the deck, assessed the 46‑year‑old seaman, and arranged immediate transfer to shore at Cầu Đá port. The patient was taken to FV Hospital, received two weeks of treatment and rehabilitation, and was discharged in stable condition.

The operation highlighted the challenges of maritime emergency care and the dedication of Vietnamese medical responders in coordinating rescue efforts far from shore.