Witnessing firsthand a facility that cures all diseases by... drinking water.
Recently, in Cau Giat town (Quynh Luu district), a man has appeared claiming he can cure diseases simply by drinking alkaline ionized water. Believing his claims, many people have flocked to his house for "inpatient treatment," the majority of whom are cancer patients.
People are rushing to drink the water to cure cancer.
On May 20th, it was just past 7 a.m., but the yard of Mr. Bui Van Quang (60 years old) in Block 9, Cau Giat town (Quynh Luu district) was already packed with people, carrying their belongings in preparation for their "inpatient treatment" there. Since Mr. Quang started advertising his ability to cure illnesses "with free water," his neighbors say that the number of people coming to his house has been increasing in recent days.
"You should investigate it yourself, but personally, I don't believe it. All I know is that recently, patients have been coming and going constantly, and there are always dozens of people in that house," said a neighbor of Mr. Quang.
According to the reporter's observations, inside the courtyard, almost every corner was filled with patients lying exhausted and frail. Beside them were numerous 20-liter oxygen tanks scattered haphazardly. Many patients came from distant provinces, some as far as Quang Binh, others from Ha Tinh... They seemed to be lying wherever they could find a place to rest under the eaves of Mr. Quang's house.
Many were fortunate enough to lie on convenient folding beds, others on bamboo cots, while about five patients were arranged to rest on makeshift wooden platforms right next to the fence. Their accompanying family members sat scattered around them, caring for them. A common feature among these patients was the presence of jugs of water, which they continuously drank from. Not only were there patients receiving "inpatient treatment," but many others who had just arrived, finding no place to sit, had to lay on the ground in the yard, waiting for their turn to receive advice from the host.
A 42-year-old patient from Tuyen Hoa district (Quang Binh province) said that this was the 28th day he and his son had packed their bags and stayed at Mr. Quang's house to receive treatment with the water. He said he has late-stage thyroid cancer. Although he has been drinking the water here for almost a month, he is unsure if his health has improved, but he still believes in this treatment method. “This is because after discovering the disease, I underwent several rounds of chemotherapy, so switching to this treatment takes longer. If I had come here for treatment without taking any medication or undergoing any other interventions after the diagnosis, I would probably be cured. I hope that in the coming days, my tumors will disappear,” said the patient, with a sorrowful face and a thin body.
Next to this person was a 62-year-old man from Ky Anh district (Ha Tinh province). He said that he had a tumor, and after a check-up, instead of receiving treatment at the hospital, his daughter-in-law brought him here to be treated with water. For three days at this house, he was not allowed to eat anything, only continuously drinking water from the homeowner's water filter. "Drinking so much water is very uncomfortable, but I have to try. I don't know if I'll be cured," he said.
Meanwhile, in a small room behind the house, Mr. Bui Van Quang was still busy "treating" many people. Because he was so busy, many patients had to queue. The reporter was greeted by his wife, Mrs. Nguyen Thi Hoa, who explained the treatment method. Mrs. Hoa said that as long as the patient wasn't too weak and could still walk, they could bring them in for any illness, especially those who hadn't used Western medicine. "Coming here for treatment, they actually just drink fresh alkaline ionized water from my water filter. Patients don't eat anything; drinking this water doesn't make them hungry," Mrs. Hoa said, adding that each patient has to pay 200,000 VND per day, which covers hygiene, electricity, and water costs. Family members who accompany them, since they don't need to drink the alkaline ionized water, only have to pay 100,000 VND per day if they want to stay. This doesn't include the cost of renting beds, blankets, etc.
"If you have blankets or bedding, feel free to bring them along; otherwise, I'll rent them out. Many cancer patients were discharged yesterday. Some drank 8 to 10 liters of water like that every day. The more they drank, the faster they recovered," Mrs. Hoa said.
Lock the gate, trapping the inspection team inside.
Not only did he put up a sign advertising "healing with water" in front of his house, but on his personal Facebook account, Mr. Quang also frequently live-streamed images of many people he introduced as patients with severe, terminal cancer who had been discharged from hospitals. He then continuously boasted that these patients had recovered or experienced significant improvements in their health after following his "healing with water" method…
Mr. Quang stated that he learned the water-based healing method from Mr. Nguyen Tien Nam (residing in Binh Minh commune, Thanh Oai district, Hanoi), and then used it to treat people in need. He also admitted that his home healing practice was unregistered and not authorized by any agency.
Mr. Le Sy Thanh, Chairman of the People's Committee of Cau Giat town, said that after learning about the situation, the local authorities instructed the town's police to summon Mr. Quang for questioning. At the meeting, Mr. Quang was unable to present any documents related to medical practice. According to Mr. Thanh, Mr. Quang had never worked in the medical field before; his only occupations were trading and construction.
On May 16th, the People's Committee of Cau Giat town established an inspection team, led by the Vice Chairman of the People's Committee, to inspect Mr. Quang's water-based medical treatment facility. "During the inspection and report-making process, Mr. Quang was not at home; only his wife and children were present. However, the family refused to cooperate with the inspection team. They also locked the gate, preventing the inspection team from leaving. Only later did the family agree to open the gate to let the team go," the report from the People's Committee of Cau Giat town stated, and also proposed that the People's Committee of Quynh Luu district establish an inter-agency inspection team to investigate and handle this case.
Regarding this treatment method, Dr. Nguyen Duc Phuc, Head of the Intensive Care Unit at Nghe An Friendship General Hospital, affirmed that drinking too much regular water, such as filtered water or boiled and cooled water, in a day, even for healthy individuals, is very dangerous and can cause water intoxication such as generalized edema, pulmonary edema, blood dilution, hyponatremia, cerebral edema, coma, seizures, and death, not to mention using large quantities of alkaline water. Drinking too much alkaline water not only causes water overload but also alters the pH of the blood, leading to metabolic alkalosis.
“The body’s blood pH level remains stable at 7.35-7.45. This level allows many substances in the body to move and function, facilitating absorption and metabolism… When there are changes in blood pH, the body becomes disordered and harmful to health. Drinking too much alkaline water will increase the body’s pH, causing sensory disturbances, coma, hypokalemia, and potentially leading to cardiac arrhythmias, paralysis, and even death,” Dr. Phuc warned.
According to Dr. Nguyen Duc Phuc, when people suspect they have an illness, they should seek examination at specialized medical facilities; they should absolutely not arbitrarily drink excessive amounts of any kind of beverage to avoid endangering their health. Authorities also need to strengthen warnings, investigations, and strictly punish establishments that make false advertisements that endanger public health.
Previously, in Hanoi, many people were hospitalized in a coma or critical condition after being treated with this method. Notably, these people were hospitalized after being treated by Mr. Nguyen Tien Nam (Thanh Oai, Hanoi), Mr. Quang's mentor, by giving them alkaline water to drink.
Most recently, in mid-March 2025, a 67-year-old female patient with a goiter sought treatment from "traditional healer" Nguyen Tien Nam after learning about his methods.alkaline waterThrough a few people on Facebook, the patient was introduced to Mr. Nam, who promised a cure within 5 days at a cost of 200,000 VND per day. He instructed the patient to drink water from a water filter mixed with salt, commonly referred to as "alkaline water." The patient stayed at this "traditional healer's" house and began drinking the "alkaline water" on the evening of March 14th, while also fasting. During this time, the patient was instructed to drink the "alkaline water" whenever thirsty or hungry. By the morning of March 16th, the patient lost consciousness and was taken to Bach Mai Hospital in a coma, with a body temperature of 40 degrees Celsius, a heart rate continuously exceeding 170 beats per minute, liver damage, blood clotting disorders, hypernatremia, and an enlarged thyroid gland compressing the neck. Tests showed elevated thyroid hormones, and an ultrasound revealed diffuse goiter. This was a critical condition requiring intensive care; the patient was in the most severe, uncontrollable state, with a high risk of death...
