Doctors at Viet Duc University Hospital have successfully carried out a surgery to transplant a tracheal segment from a brain-dead donor and reconstruct the esophageal structure for a patient from Thanh Hoa Province, as reported by the Tuoi Tre news site.
The recipient of the trachea transplant is a 25-year-old man from Thanh Hoa, who suffered from multiple injuries following a traffic accident. For almost two years, he had relied solely on a tracheostomy in the neck for breathing.
On April 11, the patient underwent surgery to reconstruct and reanastomose the cervical esophagus, remove the scar tissue from the trachea, and prepare the tracheal ends for the second surgery. On May 13, the patient received a trachea transplant using a segment from a brain-dead donor. After a period of intensive treatment, he was discharged on June 25. At a follow-up visit three months later, he was in good overall health.
This is one of the rare cases of a trachea transplant combined with esophagus reconstruction surgery worldwide, and it is the first time it has been successfully performed in Vietnam so far.
A suspended pho restaurant in Hanoi
Phan Le, 47, owner of a pho restaurant on Bao Khanh Street, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi, told vnexpress.net that she has carried out the “suspended pho” model for a month. Diners could pay one or more bowls of pho for those in need aside from what they had used.
Le said she had launched this model following the caffè sospeso (suspended or pending coffee) in Italy, and the suspended meals recently launched in HCMC. At first, the restaurant offered 30 pending bowls of pho a day. Suspended bowls of pho offered by diners would be numbered 31 and so on. Unused pending bowls of pho of the day would be added to those for the following day.
Under the “Suspended Pho” sign hung in front of the pho restaurant is the explanation “Suspended pho is a form of charity where you pre-order a meal for someone in need” in both English and Vietnamese. Le said suspended pho is available all day long for those in need, mostly old and disabled people, hawkers, and street children.
Over the past 13 years, Le has offered free helpings for poor patients at several hospitals in Hanoi, and for poor and homeless people around the capital city. “I hope the suspended meal model will be launched by more restaurants and eateries in Hanoi to help more people in need,” she said.
Collector of Nguyen Dynasty’s costumes
The house of Nguyen Huu Hoang, 51, an antique collector, in the ancient capital of Hue is like a mini-museum with quite a few antiques displayed in several cupboards. As for the collection of the Nguyen Dynasty’s costumes, he keeps them carefully in boxes with an exclusive conservation method.
In 2012, the antique collection circle was astonished at Hoang’s collection of 15 costumes of the Nguyen Dynasty displayed in Dai Noi (the Purple Forbidden City). The costumes included a king’s yellow dress; dresses once worn by the empress dowager, prince, princess, and imperial maids; and dresses worn by mandarins of the Nguyen Dynasty.
Twenty years ago, learning that an old man in Laos’ Salavan Province possessed a royal costume, Hoang promptly traveled hundreds of kilometers to his house. There he saw a king’s yellow dress, which was embroidered with 20 dragons and many complicated patterns, and was intact. He told thanhnien.vn that he could buy this royal dress after a decade of negotiation.
After 20 years, Hoang has collected nearly 200 costumes of the Nguyen Dynasty, including many dresses worn by mandarins at their meetings with the kings. It is worth noting that he has transferred 50 Nguyen Dynasty’s costumes to the HCMC Museum of History.
Hoi An eatery’s owner fluent in English
A savory steamed rice cake (banh beo) stall in the ancient town of Hoi An has captured widespread attention on social media after a video featuring the owner’s impressive English-speaking skills went viral, as reported by the Dan Tri news site.
Lucija, a travel blogger from Slovenia, recently explored Hoi An and visited a decades-old savory steamed rice cake stall on Hoang Van Thu Street. Curious about the dish, she asked about its ingredients, and the vendor responded in fluent English. The video of their conversation has gone viral, amassing over a million views and surprising many with the vendor’s good command of English.
Nguyen Thi Hong Thao, a 45-year-old woman, is the eatery’s owner. She has been running the stall for 12 years after inheriting it from her mother, Mrs. Bay. The stall has been serving customers for nearly 44 years and continues to be a popular spot for both local and international visitors thanks to its flavorful dishes.
