HANOI, VIETNAM – FEBRUARY 26, 2026 During the traditional folk celebrations of the arrival of spring in the village of Thái Lai, a fatal tragedy occurred. Part of the celebrations were wrestling matches, during which one of the wrestlers suffered a fracture of the cervical spine.
The 44-year-old wrestler Nguyễn Văn T. was pressed by his opponent’s neck to the mat so hard that his neck could not withstand it and snapped. He immediately fell unconscious and was transported in critical condition to the nearest hospital. There, however, the doctors could do nothing else but pronounce him dead.
The police closed the investigation of the case as an unfortunate accident. According to the findings, the matches were officially permitted and the fatal moves were part of the sports technique without intent to cause death.
