August 14, 2025
HANOI – Two young Vietnamese men have saved two Japanese children in danger of drowning at the Gotenba Beach in Mie Prefecture, the Vietnam News Agency (VNA) in Japan reported on Wednesday.
The Vietnamese youths received praise and admiration for their brave spirit in risking their own safety to rescue people in danger.
The heart-stopping incident occurred on Monday afternoon. Two Japanese children, a girl and a boy, were suddenly swept away by strong waves and winds as they were sitting on a float and playing in the water near the shore, according to the VNA.
They were pushed out nearly 100m from the beach and drifted along the shoreline for nearly 700m.
A group of 15 young Vietnamese people were coincidentally playing near the beach at the time.
They noticed something unusual when they heard a cry for help in the distance, and noticed the two children sitting on the float being swept away.
The VNA said there was a strong wind and the tide was receding rapidly, causing the children to drift further and further away from shore, and the float looked like it could capsize at any moment.
Realising the danger was imminent, two Vietnamese men, Phạm Quốc Đạt, 27, and Tống Mạnh Tuấn, 29, immediately jumped into the sea to rescue them.
Tuấn and Đạt swam straight out to intercept the two children. Due to the long distance and strong waves, the first attempt was unsuccessful and the two young Vietnamese men were forced to turn back.
But the men quickly decided to change their rescue strategy. They ran along the shore, and when they reached a position almost level with the two children, they put on a float made from a bicycle tyre and jumped into the sea to intercept the children.
Using their swimming skills, Tuấn and Đạt quickly swam through the strong waves for the second time. When they reached the two children, they reassured them so they would know they would be saved and became calmer.
Meanwhile, on the shore, other Vietnamese people in the group quickly contacted the police and shouted for help from the surrounding area.
The mother and grandmother of the two children could not swim, so they were very panicked and were also calling for help, according to the news agency.
About 10 minutes after receiving the call, the rescue team arrived. The VNA said there was no marine rescue force in the nearby area.
Speaking to a VNA correspondent in Japan, Đạt said that when the two children were swept away by the waves out to sea, their families did not realise that the girl and the boy were in danger.
Even as Tuấn and Đạt were struggling with the waves to save the two children, the mother and grandmother discovered that they were missing and started looking for them.
After realising that her two children were drifting at sea, the mother began to panic and, although she could not swim, still decided to jump into the sea to save them.
But when she learned that Tuấn and Đạt had swum out to sea to save her children, the mother calmed down and waited on the shore, according to the VNA.
After about 30 minutes of struggling in the waves, the two young men brought the children safely to shore, to the joy of their family and other witnesses.
Đạt said that when he and his friends sensed someone in danger, their first reflex was to find a way to save them.
Although the first attempt was unsuccessful, the pair did not hesitate to rush out a second time, because they were afraid that if they did not save them in time, the two children might die.
The Mie Prefectural authority on August 28 will award certificates of merit to the men in recognition of their heroic act.
Speaking to the VNA correspondent in Japan, a representative of the Naka Fire Fighting Department in Tsu City, Mie Prefecture, confirmed that the department had officially invited Đạt and Tuấn to come to the department and receive certificates of merit for their brave actions in saving two Japanese children.
The award ceremony will take place at 10am.
The men’s spirit of selflessness for others has left a deep impression, spreading a good reputation of the Vietnamese people’s courage and kindness.