Stepfather detained for assaulting 10-year-old girl with hammer in central Vietnam

Nguyen Van Nam, of Co Dam Commune, faces investigation on a charge of "intentional infliction of injury."

Police say the attack occurred on the evening of Oct. 18, when Nam accused the girl of lying and then struck her on the head with his hands, a wooden stick and a hammer.

Nguyen Van Nam at a police station in Ha Tinh Province. Photo by police

According to authorities, he bandaged her wound and went to sleep before leaving for work the next morning, locking the girl inside the house.

Relatives heard the child crying through a window and took her to Vinh City General Hospital. She sustained multiple injuries and required seven stitches to her head. Her condition has stabilized and relatives are completing discharge procedures, officials said.

A hammer confiscated by authorities from Nguyen Van Nam’s rental house, which was allegedly used against his 10-year-old stepdaughter. Photo by VnExpress/Hung Le

Nam was arrested on Oct. 19 evening while hiding on the roof of his mother's house nearby. During questioning, he reportedly said he "lost control in a moment of anger" and expressed regret.

Local authorities told police Nam had previously abused the girl on multiple occasions and received a warning last year.

Injuries on the back of a 10-year-old girl in Ha Tinh Province, allegedly caused by her stepfather. Photo by VnExpress/Hung Le

The victim's mother, 29-year-old Ban Thi Binh, married Nam in 2022. Binh and Nam have two children together and are renting a home in Ha Tinh.

The girl has said she fears further abuse and hopes to return to northern Vietnam to live with her grandmother. Prosecutors and police continue to investigate the case.