Get VnExpress first in Google Search 
See more of the news you trust. Make VnExpress a preferred source to prioritise our updates in your Google search results
An article on HuffPost Japan, accompanied by video footage of the rescue process, said the five workers rushed to the scene after discovering that the house of the elderly woman, who lived alone, had collapsed.
Le Huy Tuan, one of the rescuers, recalled that they had heard cries for help beneath the rubble upon arrival. The woman had survived after becoming trapped in a small space beneath a collapsed wall and door.
HuffPost Japan reported that the Vietnamese workers joined residents in clearing the debris with their bare hands and available tools, safely pulling the victim from the wreckage while aftershocks continued.
In an interview with the Vietnam News Agency, Tuan said: "At that moment, none of us thought about our own safety. We only cared about saving the elderly woman.
Japanese broadcaster TBS also covered the rescue, reporting that the Vietnamese nationals working in Yatsushiro city worked alongside residents to rescue the victim.
Vietnamese workers recall rescuring their 90-year-old neighbor from Kumamoto quake rubble. Video by Viory
NHK featured the story in its "Catch! Sekai no Top News" programme aired on July 30, using footage from a report of Vietnam Television's VTV24 channel on the rescue. The clip was later shared on NHK World's X account, attracting numerous comments expressing gratitude and admiration for the Vietnamese workers' action.
The VNA correspondents in Japan said several Japanese television journalists have also contacted them for further information about the incident, and expressed appreciation for the Vietnamese citizens' courage.
The 7.1-magnitude earthquake struck the southwestern region of Kumamoto prefecture on Kyushu island on Tuesday afternoon, killing at least 34 people and leaving tens of thousands without power.
