Ha Tinh brothers battle rare disease as mother loses arm

Ten-year-old Nguyen Van Vuong and his four-year-old brother, Nguyen Van Gia Huy, from Thach Khe Commune were both born with the same rare metabolic disorder, which has left them underweight, developmentally delayed and frequently hospitalised.

Vuong, who is preparing to enter fifth grade, weighs only 19 kilogrammes, while his younger brother also suffers from poor health.

"They've spent more time in hospitals than at school," said their grandmother, Truong Thi Hoe. Their condition requires a strict diet, meaning they've never even tasted birthday cake.

Their mother, Truong Thi Hoa, 35, and father, Nguyen Van Dong, 41, later learned that they both carry the genetic mutation responsible for the disorder without developing symptoms themselves.

The family had hoped to improve their situation by working overseas. Dong travelled to Taiwan in 2024, borrowing money to cover recruitment costs, and Hoa joined him the following year after leaving the children in the care of their maternal grandparents.

The family's plans were shattered in June when Hoa lost her right arm in a workplace accident in Taiwan. She remains in hospital and is expected to return to Vietnam once her condition stabilises.

"My daughter called home in tears and said she had lost an arm. She kept asking how she would be able to care for her children," Hoe recalled.

Regular treatment at the National Children's Hospital in Hanoi, along with uninsured medicines and travel expenses, continues to strain the family's finances.

The family currently lives in a deteriorating house borrowed from relatives and has yet to build a home on a plot of land given to them by Hoa's parents.

With the new school year approaching, the cost of books, uniforms and health insurance has become another financial challenge.

Vuong's teacher described him as a diligent student whose health has repeatedly forced him to miss school for treatment.

According to authorities in Thach Khe Commune, the family is among the area's most vulnerable households and appealed to donors to help them overcome their difficulties.