Student in Vietnam throws acid at teacher who failed him

Aug 25, 2009, 4:52 GMT

   Hanoi - A former student at a Ho Chi Minh City university threw acid at a teacher who had failed him, injuring the teacher and 13 students, a doctor said Tuesday.

   'The lecturer and one student are in critical condition,' said Dr Huynh Thi Ngoc Quynh, head of the emergency department at Thu Duc General Hospital.

   The lecturer, Dang Huu Dung, was teaching an English class Monday at Ho Chi Minh City Agriculture and Forestry University when former student Tran Xuan Thanh, 28, entered the room and threw a bowl of acid at his face, university officials said.

   Thirteen students were hit by acid when the teacher ducked and tried to run away.

   Police arrested Thanh shortly afterwards.

   Thanh studied at the university from 2002 to 2006 but failed to graduate because he had not completed Dung's English course, according to the university's vice principal, Huynh Thanh Hung.

   Thanh told police he had failed six or seven English exams and felt Dung had not done enough to help him.

   'The police said he (Thanh) was very stubborn,' Dr Quynh said. 'He said even if he were sentenced to death, he would feel no remorse.'

   Dung and the most seriously injured student are being treated by a specialized burns unit at Cho Ray Hospital, Dr Quynh said. Dung suffered burns over 70 per cent of his body, while the student's eyes were badly burned.

   Police said Thanh bought the five litres of acid he threw at Dung for 100,000 dong (6 dollars).