On the evening of 12/4, Khanh, 40, from Van An commune, was walking near Nam Dan Bridge when he saw a woman, over 30, holding her 7-year-old son, climb over the bridge's railing and jump into the Lam River. Standing about 10 meters away, he could not intervene in time.

Local residents used a wooden boat to help bring the two victims to shore on the evening of 12/4. *Photo: Hung Le*

Within dozens of seconds, the mother and child were swept by the current into the middle of the Lam River. Khanh immediately ran onto the bridge, pinpointed their location, and jumped in to search. When he reached them, the woman was struggling, and the child had already submerged.

Khanh dived down, finding the child after nearly one minute and keeping him afloat. As they were over 10 meters from the shore and the mother was in a panicked state, Khanh decided not to immediately bring them to shore. He waited for the mother to tire before approaching her and helping her onto a wooden boat that brought them to safety.

"The woman was larger than me, and when struggling in the water, she would be very strong," Khanh explained. "That's why I held the child, waited a moment longer, and only when I saw the victim was exhausted did I approach to pull her to shore; the success rate would be higher."

Khanh (seated in the back) jumped into the Lam River to rescue the two victims. *Photo: Hung Le*

During the rescue, Khanh sustained a cut to his leg from a sharp object, requiring 4 stitches and a tetanus shot. The woman sustained a back injury and was taken to the hospital for emergency treatment.

On the morning of 13/4, Van An commune leaders announced that Khanh would be honored for his brave rescue in a critical situation.

According to authorities, the initial cause was a family financial dispute, which led the mother to take negative action.

Duc Hung