Maple Ridge man has burns to 90% of his face and only has 15-20% of his vision A BC couple says they had acid thrown at them while riding on a motorbike in Vietnam WARNING: This story contains graphic information and pictures that some may find disturbing. BANGKOK (NEWS 1130) – What was supposed to be a relaxing vacation in Vietnam has turned into a nightmare for a Maple Ridge couple after being attacked with acid earlier this month. In a Facebook post last week, Tammy Nguyen says she and her boyfriend Tom Vo were on their way to dinner when two men attacked and threw acid at the pair on February 9. Nguyen says they were riding a motorbike and making a right turn on a pitch dark street when a motorbike with the men raced up beside them. One of the men yelled something out and then Nguyen says acidic water was spilled on them. She adds Vo lost control of the motorbike and they both fell off, and then one of the men stabbed Vo’s legs several times with a knife. While Tammy suffered minor burns to her arms, legs and face, she says 90% of Tom’s face is burnt and his eyesight is extremely damaged, with his vision only at about 15-20%. Tom Vo in hospital following acid attack (GoFundMe Page) In a message to NEWS 1130, Tammy says they’re both in Bangkok now getting treatment in hospital and friends have set up a GoFundMe page to help them with medical expenses. The page says Nguyen has reached out to the Embassy of Canada, which is currently helping them with medical needs, but it adds they can’t provide much assistance for Vo because he’s a permanent resident in Canada and not a Canadian Citizen. Tom Vo in hospital following acid attack (GoFundMe Page) The couple is described as “very humble and hardworking people, super talented nail technicians in Port Coquitlam” on the page. As of Sunday morning, over $11,000 has been raised.<doc-sep>A Vancouver area couple has been injured in an acid attack while on vacation in Vietnam, according to a close friend of the pair. Cecelia Tran said Tram Nguyen, who goes by Tammy, and her boyfriend Nghiem Vo, who goes by Tom, were in Quang Mai, Vietnam just east of Ho Chi Minh City, to visit Vo's family on Feb. 9. The Surrey, B.C. couple, who are both aged 26, were headed to a Lunar New Year's family gathering when two men attacked the pair. Tran said the men attacked Vo with a knife and threw acid at both of them. Global Affairs Canada confirmed that Canadian Consular officials are in contact with local authorities in Vietnam, gathering information on a Canadian citizen who was injured there. "Tammy has burns on her inner thigh, neck, shoulder, hand, leg and some on her face," said Tran in a written message. "Tom is in intensive care [with] severe burns on his face and body. Stab wounds on both his legs and ankle." Both are in hospital in Thailand. "I'm not sure why or who would do this, because they are very nice people, very soft-spoken," said Tran. Global Affairs hasn't named the Canadian individual who was injured, but Tran said Nguyen is a Canadian citizen and Vo is a permanent resident. The Global Affairs statement said it would not release further details, citing the privacy laws.<doc-sep>Send this page to someone via email A Maple Ridge couple is recovering after a horrifying acid attack that has left one of them with significant burns. Tammy Nguyen and her boyfriend Nghiêm Võ, who goes by Tom, were visiting Vietnam for the Lunar New Year when the attack happened. In a Facebook post recounting the Feb. 9 incident, Nguyen said the pair were riding a motorbike on their way to have dinner when they found themselves on a road with no street lights. READ MORE: Two men arrested after Canadian attacked with machete in Thailand She said they passed another motorbike with two men on it. “About 30-40 secs later, the same motorbike raced up beside us on the left and yelled something out we couldn’t hear properly and we both looked to our left and saw that they have spilled acidic water on us. Tom lost control of the motorbike and we both fell off,” she wrote. Story continues below advertisement WATCH: Aftermath of four American tourists attacked with acid in France 0:37 Aftermath of four American tourists attacked with acid in France Aftermath of four American tourists attacked with acid in France – Sep 17, 2017 “Tom crawled about 1 meter away from me and I saw the guy sitting at the back coming down hold a large knife coming towards me and in my head i thought to myself ‘oh no it’s robbery’ so I held both my hands in the air. “But he turned towards Tom’s direction, pushing Tom down and just went straight for his legs. With total a total of 3 cuts. 2 on his right leg, 1 on his left.” Local media report that Võ has been transported to Thailand for temporary treatment en route to Canada. In a Facebook direct message, Nguyen said she is by her boyfriend’s side in the ICU. Story continues below advertisement Click to see photos. Warning: Disturbing images. According to Nguyen’s Facebook post, the attack left Võ with burns to 90 per cent of his face and hands, along with burns on his legs and stitches from the knife wounds. She said he was not able to fully open one of his eyes and his vision has been reduced to 15-20 per cent. Story continues below advertisement Nguyen managed to escape with smaller burns on her thighs, hand and the left side of her face, she wrote. WATCH: London acid attack leaves 6 people injured 0:22 London acid attack leaves 6 people injured London acid attack leaves 6 people injured – Sep 23, 2017 “Still cannot believe this all happened. I’m still thinking it’s a nightmare and wanting it to all go away,” she wrote. “Please pray for Tom. It’s not fair to go on vacation and to have something like this [happen].” Global Affairs confirmed to Global News that a Canadian citizen had been injured in Vietnam and that Canadian officials in the country were in contact with local officials to gather information and provide consular assistance. According to a GoFundMe campaign started by Nguyen’s friend Cecilia Tran, Võ is a permanent resident of Canada, but not a citizen, which has complicated issues with the Canadian government. Story continues below advertisement “This is so devastating and should never happen to anyone. Tammy and Tom are both very humble and hardworking people, super talented nail technicians in Port Coquitlam, BC.,” she wrote. “This is definitely life-changing for them, not for the better.”<doc-sep>
WARNING: This story contains graphic details that some readers may find disturbing. A B.C. couple is recovering in hospital after suffering serious burns in what they have described as a random and unprovoked acid attack while vacationing in Vietnam. Tammy Nguyen said she and her boyfriend, Tom Vo, were on their way to a celebratory Lunar New Year dinner in Quang Ngai, Vietnam on Feb. 9 when they were attacked by two strangers on a motorbike. According to Nguyen, the men threw acid at them before approaching them with a knife and slashing her boyfriend’s legs. "They said something that we couldn’t really understand and we both looked to our left and that's when they splashed the acidic water on us," Nguyen told CTV Vancouver via video chat from a hospital room in Bangkok. "I had my purse on me but he didn't come get me. He just went straight for my boyfriend." For more, visit CTV Vancouver. Nguyen said her 90 per cent of her boyfriend's face is covered in burns. He also has significant burns on his arms and legs as well as four cuts on his legs. “Right now I’m just worried about Tom’s eyes because he can only see about 15 to 20 per cent. He can barely open his eyes because of the burns,” Nguyen told CTV Vancouver while wiping away tears. Nguyen believes the attack, which has been called “shocking” by Vietnamese media outlets, was random and said she doesn’t know why anyone would want to hurt them in such a vicious way. The couple, both 25, owns a nail salon in Port Coquitlam. The pair was airlifted to a hospital in Bangkok, Thailand for treatment by their insurance company. Friends of the couple have also set up a GoFundMe page to help them with other medical expenses. “Tammy has reached out to the Embassy of Canada and they are currently assisting them with medical needs. However, Tom is in serious condition and they cannot provide much assistance for him due to him being a permanent resident in Canada and not a Canadian Citizen,” reads the GoFundMe campaign. As of Saturday afternoon, the campaign had raised just over $5,000. Nguyen said police in Vietnam are investigating but have not provided them with any details. “It’s not fair to go on vacation and to have something like this happen,” Nguyen wrote on Facebook. “I want everyone to be aware that this can happen to anyone, including someone you love.”