Acid thrown on vacation

Photo: CTV News

A B.C. couple had acid thrown on them while vacationing in Vietnam and are now suffering from serious burns. 

On Feb. 9, Tammy Nguyen and her boyfriend Tom Vo were travelling on a motorbike on a dark road in the province of Quan Ngai en route to a lunar new year celebration when two strangers attacked. 

"They said something that we couldn’t really understand and we both looked to our left and that's when they splashed the acidic water on us," Nguyen told CTV News via video chat from her hospital room.

Both she and her boyfriend fell off their bike, and Vo's legs were slashed with a knife. 

"I had my purse on me but he didn't come get me. He just went straight for my boyfriend," Nguyen said. 

The two 25-year-olds own a nail salon in Port Coquitlam. Nguyen believes the attack was not random, but can't fathom why anyone would hurt them.

They are now recovering in a Bangkok hospital. Nguyen said Vo's face is 90 per cent covered in burns, and he has limited sight. 

"Right now I am worried about Tom's eyes because he can only see about 15 to 20 per cent. He can barely open his eyes because of the burns," she said through tears. 

Nguyen herself is dealing with burns on her face, arms and legs. She said police in Vietnam are investigating but have not provided details. 

"Nobody deserves this, especially when you're on vacation and you're visiting family and all of a sudden, this happens. It's not a vacation anymore, it's a nightmare."

-With files from CTV Vancouver