HCMC – Two college students have died, while 11 others have remained in critical condition after drinking alcohol of unknown origin in restaurants in HCMC and Thu Duc City in the last three days.
HCMC saw two methanol poisoning incidents, with the first case leaving two out of eight drinkers dead and the second leaving five people hospitalized.
A group of eight college students, aged 19 to 24, went out for drinking in Phuoc Long B Ward, Thu Duc City, on Wednesday night on August 4. They bought food from outside and drank five liters of alcohol belonging to the restaurant.
Later, one of them was found dead at his residence.
The seven other students reported abdominal pain, dizziness and vomiting. They were all transferred to the hospital but one was confirmed dead soon after arrival.
Currently, two students are being treated at the Thu Duc Regional General Hospital and the others at the Gia Dinh People’s Hospital, including one, who is in critical condition.
They have all been diagnosed with methanol poisoning.
On August 6-7, the Gia Dinh People’s Hospital received five male patients with symptoms of fatigue and vomiting, who reported that they drank alcohol together the day before being hospitalized. Reportedly, they mistakenly mixed alcohol with hand sanitizer.
The five patients are currently being treated in the Intensive Care Unit and have undergone dialysis and been given ethanol (food grade alcohol) and vitamin C for treatment.
Local police are continuing their investigation into the suspected methanol poisoning cases. It’s common for vendors and street stall owners to intentionally mix alcohol with other liquor to save expenses, causing some alcohol poisoning cases.
Alcohol use has been a considerable concern in Vietnam.
According to Visual Capitalist, Vietnam ranked ninth among the countries with the highest beer consumption in 2020. Data from the General Statistics Office of Vietnam showed that alcohol consumption in the country rose from 0.9 liter per person per month in 2018 to 1.3 liters in 2020.
