American tourist on cruise ship goes into coma, hospitalized

Haddock Richard Ray, 78, was traveling on a cruise ship off the central resort town of Nha Trang when he started vomiting. His belly swelled up, he could not move and he went into a coma.

The captain of the ship immediately contacted Vietnam’s Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Center for help.

A team from the center, along with medical staff, arrived at the vessel and provided first aid before transferring Ray to a hospital in Nha Trang.

The man showed signs of suffering from peritonitis, said an official from the center.

Peritonitis is an inflammation of the peritoneum, the tissue that lines the inner wall of the abdomen and covers and supports most of your abdominal organs. It is usually caused by infection from bacteria or fungi.

Americans are among the leading foreign visitors to Vietnam, with 687,226 arrivals last year, an 11 percent year-on-year increase.