Mother, baby healthy after delivery in apartment lobby

Around 2 p.m., she and her husband Vu Van Ngu were leaving for the hospital when she went into labor and told her husband they wouldn’t make it there.

Nguyen Mai, one of the building’s cleaning staff, said the situation happened so suddenly that all she and her colleagues could do was bring clean clothes and towels to help the woman in labor.

About ten minutes later, Trang gave birth to a healthy baby girl, weighing 3.5 kg. She and the newborn were taken to the hospital to cut the umbilical cord and have their health checked.

The father, Ngu, recalled: “I was so confused. I didn’t know what to do first, what to do next…so I just improvised.”

Nguyen Van Quang, manager of the building, said it was a rare, surprising incident, probably the first time such a thing happened in an apartment building.

“We are extremely happy that the baby was born safely and the mother is healthy,” he said.

As strange and rare as the incident was, it wasn’t the first time that Trang was delivering her baby in an unusual place. The first of her two sons were born in the hospital restroom.

A photo of Ngu assisting his wife give birth in the lobby has gone went viral on social networks, attracting tens of thousands of likes and nearly two thousand comments. Many people sent their greetings and complimented the presence of mind of the husband, staff and building residents.

“My family was very surprised when they heard the news. Fortunately, things went well. Their health is now stable and they will be discharged from the hospital in two days,” said Vu Lua, Ngu’s cousin.