A peaceful anti-China demonstration turned deadly in Vung Ang Economic Zone, Ha Tinh Province on May 14, leaving over 100 injured, including Vietnamese and Chinese employees. The injured were transferred to Ha Tinh City General Hospital. About 50 students from Ha Tinh Medical College quickly volunteered to take care of the injured people at hospital.
Vietnamese volunteers (in blue T-shirts) taking care of Chinese patients at Ha Tinh City General Hospital on May 16.
One student said, "We volunteer to take care of patients, no matter their nationality. Also, because they are foreigners and live far from their families, they need our help even more."
Nguyen Thi Ha Dieu, another student who speaks Chinese and often talks with patients, said, "They were surprised because Vietnamese labourers had been peaceful the entire time they had been working at the company, but suddenly they became violent."
The vice head of Ha Tinh City General Hospital, Le Que, said they helped to treat 94 Chinese patients, two of them had traumatic brain injuries, one had broken bones and the rest had light injuries.
On May 18, 161 employees of the Formosa project site were released from hospital and many Chinese patients showed gratitude to their doctors. He Zhi Tian, a worker at Hoang Hai Company No3 said he had head and arm injuries but received good care. The patients even wrote a thank you letter to doctors and volunteers from Ha Tinh Medical College.
"Ha Tinh authorities, doctors, police and volunteers helped to protect us and treated our injuries. We appreciate the help and hope Vietnamese and Chinese people can be friendly with each other, and that the two governments will have better relations for stability in the region and in the world," read the letter.
Following proposals from the Chinese Embassy in Hanoi and Chinese contractors, Vietnam’s authorities actively assisted China in transporting injured workers back home by air and many others by sea on May 19.
