Vietnamese Intern Dies in Kumamoto Earthquake Before Meeting Newborn Son

A magnitude-7.1 tremor hit Kumamoto Prefecture on Tuesday, killing Tran Van Son, a Vietnamese technical intern employed at a metal-processing facility in Kosa. Son had arrived in Japan a few months earlier, hoping to earn enough to build a house for his family back home in Ninh Binh Province. He married recently and his wife gave birth to a son in Vietnam, a milestone he said would drive his efforts in Japan.

His elder brother Tien, who works in Hyogo Prefecture, rushed to the disaster zone and lamented that Son never had the chance to meet his newborn child. A funeral Mass held on Saturday in Kumamoto city drew roughly 200 colleagues and other mourners, with bilingual prayers and flower offerings. Friends remembered Son for his cheerful demeanor, love of fishing, and the respect he earned from senior coworkers who helped him adjust to life abroad.