The incident occurred during a seminar held in Long Bien District on Thursday, and authorities have been testing food and liquor samples at the event for the cause.
Tran Viet Nga, Director of the Food Safety Department under the Ministry of Health, confirmed on Friday night that the affected individuals had consumed both snacks and lunch at the event. Of the hospitalized patients, 14 were admitted to Hanoi’s Poison Control Center at Bach Mai Hospital and Duc Giang General Hospital, while one person received treatment in Nghe An Province, approximately 350 kilometers from the seminar venue. Two others died outside hospital care under unclear circumstances.
The first patient admitted to Duc Giang General Hospital was a 52-year-old man who arrived on Thursday evening in a state of agitation and widespread cyanosis. He was diagnosed with severe metabolic acidosis and suspected poisoning, with blood tests revealing the presence of methanol. The patient, who had a history of diabetes, fell into a coma and required mechanical ventilation.
Bach Mai Hospital received 13 patients between Thursday night and Friday noon, all presenting symptoms such as nausea, dizziness, and lightheadedness. None reported abdominal pain or diarrhea, although some experienced vomiting or mild fever. Their conditions stabilized after treatment.
The patient admitted in Nghe An is reported to be in stable condition.
The seminar banquet, organized by NBC Pacific Co., Ltd., was attended by 80 people. The lunch menu included various dishes such as seaweed salad with crab roe, seafood soup with mushrooms, honey-roasted chicken, steamed tilapia with mushrooms and scallions, sour fish soup, beef stew with bread, sautéed bok choy with mushroom sauce, mixed fried rice, and lotus seed and longan sweet soup. Fresh coconut was also served as part of the meal. Snacks included tea, coffee, raisin rolls, French pastries, Hawaiian pizza, and fresh fruit.
In addition to the menu provided by the event organizers, approximately 20 liters of homemade white liquor were brought to the venue by a driver of the company, based in Hung Yen Province, which borders Hanoi. Eight liters of this liquor were consumed during the event, while the remaining 12 liters were taken away. Two other one-liter bottles of liquor were also discovered at the venue.
Police in Hanoi and Hung Yen have since collected samples of the liquor for testing at the National Institute for Food Control.
The Ministry of Health has ordered the Hanoi Department of Health to investigate the incident thoroughly. This includes tracing the origin of the food, testing food samples and patient specimens, and determining the cause of the suspected poisoning. Authorities have also been instructed to temporarily suspend operations at the facility and review its compliance with food safety regulations.
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