Boy drowns in café's Koi fish pond

A source from Ho Chi Minh City Children’s Hospital 2 on Tuesday said a boy was admitted to the hospital during the Tet holiday after drowning, Vietnam Television reported.

The boy went with his parents to a café with a Koi fish pond. He was left to play freely and was later discovered in the pond.

The boy received first-aid and was taken to a local hospital, but his heart and breathing had already stopped. He was later transferred to the hospital in Ho Chi Minh City, where doctors said he had severe pneumonia, put him on a ventilator and gave him antibiotics. The boy later died.

A 2020 report by the Department of Child Affairs said drowning is one of the major causes of death of children aged 12-15 in Vietnam.

Every year, Vietnam records 2,000 drowning deaths on average, the highest in Southeast Asia.