Vietnamese Workers Praised by Japanese Media for Rescue During Kumamoto Earthquake

Following the 7.1 magnitude earthquake that struck Kumamoto Prefecture, causing widespread structural damage and infrastructure destruction, the actions of five Vietnamese workers who rescued a 90-year-old woman from a collapsed house have captured the attention of Japanese media. Le Huy Tuan, 25, and his four colleagues, who work as agricultural laborers in Japan, encountered the scene of a house collapse due to the earthquake's aftershocks. Hearing cries for help from within, they used their bare hands and pieces of wood, collaborating with local residents, to successfully rescue the 90-year-old woman to safety. "We wanted to get the elderly woman out safely as quickly as possible," Tuan recounted. When asked about the motivation behind their perilous actions, he explained, "Vietnamese people consider helping neighbors in times of hardship a natural reflex." On July 30, the Sankei Shimbun reported the full details of the rescue, expressing deep respect for Tuan's statement about "considering helping neighbors a natural reflex." The newspaper stated that their actions brought "pride to the Vietnamese community in Japan." On July 31, NHK broadcast footage documenting the rescue operations at the scene. The rescued 90-year-old woman lived alone in a two-story house. Amidst communication failures with the fire department, local residents transported the woman to the hospital using their private vehicles. The woman sustained a leg fracture but remained conscious. Kazunori Nishida, who was directly involved in the rescue, assessed that the participation of the Vietnamese workers played a decisive role in the rescue process, stating, "I was relieved when the elderly woman was safely taken to the hospital." In addition to NHK and Sankei Shimbun, numerous other Japanese news platforms, including HuffPost and TBS News, have widely covered the rescue efforts by the Vietnamese workers. The recent earthquake has claimed at least 34 lives, injured many, destroyed numerous buildings, and left 37,000 households without power. In 2016, Kumamoto experienced consecutive earthquakes that resulted in 273 fatalities. According to the Vietnam News Agency (VNA), one Vietnamese trainee at a factory in Kumamoto died when a crane collapsed on him during an incident on July 28. Seven other Vietnamese workers at the same factory escaped safely. Meanwhile, the wife of a Vietnamese worker in Uki City (Kumamoto) was injured by a collapsing wall but received successful emergency medical treatment, escaping life-threatening danger. As of the end of 2025, Japan is home to approximately 681,000 Vietnamese residents, with technical interns numbering 190,000 and those under specific skills visas around 164,000, accounting for over half of the total. Source: VnExpress