If bullets could kill

Chung said tests revealed his special patient was fine after the three-hour operation was completed. Thanh was sent home over the weekend.

He fought for the Vietnamese communists in Cambodia, and was shot when he was just 21. The bullet went through his chest and lodged in his lung.

Thanh, a farmer, had long wanted it removed but could not afford the operation. Doctors carried out the procedure for free.

He did not feel any pain for the last 30 years, said Nguyen Van Thai, head of Thi Tu village, where Thanh lives. He recently found it hard to breath and developed a severe fever before going to the hospital.

8220;When the bullet was taken out, it was already rusty,8221; said Dr Chung. 8220;But he is perfectly fine now.8221;