Medical student saves drowning boy at Thai Nguyen waterfall

A 23-year-old medical student in Thai Nguyen, Vietnam, successfully revived a 10-year-old boy who was drowning at the Bay Tầng waterfall. Nguyen Xuan Linh, a fifth-year student at Thai Nguyen University of Medicine and Pharmacy, recounted the incident that occurred on May 23 after heavy rains caused the waterfall's water levels to rise.

Linh and a friend visited the waterfall, known for its scenic beauty, and encountered a group of local children playing. Shortly after, panicked shouts were heard from further up the falls. Despite the roaring water, Linh sensed trouble and rushed to the scene, navigating slippery rocks.

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At that moment, I saw the child was blue, not moving, and not breathing.

He found the boy's mother and another woman had pulled the child from the water. The boy was already blue and unresponsive. Recognizing the boy had no pulse or respiration, Linh immediately directed others to call for an ambulance while he began chest compressions on a firm, elevated surface. He also instructed bystanders on clearing the boy's airway and performing rescue breaths.

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I saw everyone just pressing on the chest reflexively, so I quickly instructed them to move the child to higher ground for first aid.

After about three minutes, the boy's pupils constricted, and he regained a pulse. Linh advised the family to take the child to the nearest medical facility for further examination. Although Linh remained calm during the rescue, he felt shaky afterward, as it was his first time performing CPR outside a hospital setting, despite having practiced it numerous times during his clinical studies.

Linh expressed hope that sharing his experience would serve as a positive example, encouraging greater public awareness of water safety and the critical value of basic first aid skills. He believes that if more people possessed these skills, more lives could be saved.

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I hope this story can be a source of positive energy for the community, so that people can raise their awareness of safety when going to rivers and streams, and also see the meaning of equipping basic first aid skills.