21 hospitalized over food poisoning after death anniversary feast in Vietnam

Initial reports from local authorities show that the victims attended a family-hosted feast on Saturday in Trung Co Me neighborhood.

The meal, prepared by a local restaurant, included seafood salad, roasted chicken, sticky rice, grilled goat, steamed squid, cobia hotpot, and yogurt.

By the early hours of the next morning, nine attendees, aged 54-84, were admitted to Hue Central Hospital with symptoms of food poisoning, such as stomach pain, nausea, and fatigue.

Doctors diagnosed the cases as acute gastroenteritis caused by foodborne toxins.

The most severe case involved an 84-year-old woman, N.T.L., who suffered septic shock and required intensive treatment.

As of Monday morning, the hospital had treated 21 individuals related to the incident.

Tran Kiem Hao, director of the city’s Department of Health, confirmed the same morning that the victims' conditions have mostly stabilized.

The department has dispatched food safety officials to visit the affected patients.

Stool samples from the patients were sent to the Pasteur Institute in Khanh Hoa Province for testing.

The health department also ordered the restaurant to halt operations during the investigation.

"Most of the patients are recovering well and may continue treatment at home," Hao said.

Hospital officials said they activated an emergency response plan to triage and treat patients, ensuring adequate medical supplies, personnel, and equipment.

“If needed, we are ready to perform advanced procedures such as blood filtration or ECMO,” the hospital representative said.

ECMO, or Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation, is a life support system which allows patients’ lungs and hearts to improve and function properly.

Trinh Duc Nhu, chairman of the Phong Dinh Ward administration, confirmed the incident and said authorities are collecting food samples to determine the exact cause.