Viet and Duc Nguyen

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Viet Nguyen
Born(1981-02-25)25 February 1981
Died6 October 2007(2007-10-06) (aged 26)
Known forConjoined twins
Duc Nguyen
Duc Nguyen in 2004.
Born (1981-02-25) 25 February 1981 (age 43)
Known forConjoined twins
SpouseNguyen Thi Thanh Tuyen (m. 2006)
ChildrenNguyen Phú Sĩ and Nguyen Anh Đào

Viet Nguyen (Vietnamese: Nguyễn Việt, 25 February 1981 – 6 October 2007) and Duc Nguyen (Vietnamese: Nguyễn Đức, born 25 February 1981) were a pair of Vietnamese conjoined twins surgically separated in 1988. Viet died in 2007 of natural causes.

Viet and Duc were born on 25 February 1981, in Sa Thầy, Kon Tum Province. Viet was the elder and Duc was the younger of the two brothers. Their relatives claim that the reason they became conjoined twins is the influence of Agent Orange that the U.S. military used as part of its herbicide warfare strategy during the Vietnam War.[1][2] Their mother was farming in an area doused with Agent Orange a year after the Vietnam War had ended. She also drank water from a well in that area. After that, Viet and Duc were born.

In May 1986, Viet developed a high fever and fell into a coma. The twins were immediately flown to the Japanese Red Cross Medical Center in Hiroo in Tokyo, Japan. There, Viet was diagnosed with Acute necrotizing encephalopathy. The large doses of medication to treat Viet also affected Duc, who had bouts of nausea and pain. The twins remained hospitalized for about four months before being returned to Vietnam.[3] While Duc recovered, the affects of the Acute necrotizing encephalopathy left Viet in a Vegetative state.[4]

On 4 October 1988, Viet and Duc were separated in Ho Chi Minh City with help from the Japanese Red Cross. Afterwards, Viet went into a coma.[5] His health problems continued after the separation, and he died due to liver failure and pneumonia on 6 October 2007, at the age of 26.

Duc now works at a hospital in Ho Chi Minh City. On 16 December 2006, he married Nguyen Thi Thanh Tuyen in Ho Chi Minh City.[6] The couple has two children, a boy named Phú Sĩ (after Mount Fuji) and a girl named Anh Đào (after the cherry blossom). Their names were a dedication to the Japanese, who played an important role in Duc's separation.

In December 2021, Duc received an award from the Japanese Foreign Ministry for promoting exchanges between Japan and Vietnam.[7]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Hamada, Moe (19 August 2023). "Duc's Tale: Catching Up with the Surviving Vietnamese Conjoined Twin Separated by Surgery". The Japan News by the Yomiuri Shimbun. The Yomiuri Shimbun. Retrieved 27 December 2023.
  2. ^ "Once-conjoined Vietnamese twin helps others | NHK WORLD-JAPAN News". NHK WORLD. Retrieved 27 December 2023.
  3. ^ https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/society/general-news/20230819-130514/
  4. ^ https://thesmartlocal.com/vietnam/conjoined-twins-surgery-1988/
  5. ^ Separated Vietnamese conjoined twin dies
  6. ^ Viet Duc marriage ceremony
  7. ^ https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2021/12/f0c71932f8a6-once-conjoined-vietnam-twin-awarded-by-japan-for-promoting-exchanges.html

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