Four people from the northern Vietnamese province of Bac Kan have been hospitalized after a local family and their guests unwittingly ate poisonous leaves during a meal, the Vietnam News Agency reported.

The victims were admitted to the Bac Kan Province General Hospital at around 8:00 pm on Saturday with such symptoms as respiratory failure, a rapid heartbeat, and circulatory arrest, Dinh Thi Dam, a senior doctor at the infirmary, confirmed.

Their hospitalization was caused by eating poisonous leaves locally referred to as ‘la ngon,’ Dr. Dam stated, adding that their health conditions have stabilized thanks to the prompt treatment.

The four victims include Tong Van Liem, 67, his wife, 65-year-old Ma Thi Luan, their son, 44-year-old Tong Van Trieu, and a female guest, 29-year-old Bui Thi H..

According to Liem’s family members, H. visited his home in Thuong Giao Commune, Ba Be District, on Saturday.

In order to treat their visitor to a meal, Luan took some herbs from a nearby forest to cook a bowl of soup, unaware that the plants were actually noxious leaves.

Liem, Luan, Trieu, and H. later ate the dish and were eventually poisoned.

People are advised to be highly cautious when consuming wild herbs, plants, or mushrooms as they could be poisonous, said Dr. Dam.

They should go the nearest hospital if suffering such symptoms as nausea, headache, and dizziness after eating them, the doctor asserted.

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