Woman suffers burns after hydrogen birthday balloon explodes when it touches candle

• Giang Pham, 33, suffered severe burns when hydrogen-filled balloons exploded at her birthday in Hanoi.
• She was treated for first and second-degree burns, but doctors expect no permanent scarring.
• Pham hopes her story raises awareness about the dangers of using flammable hydrogen balloons near flames.

Video has captured the moment a Vietnamese woman’s birthday celebrations turned to disaster, leaving her with second-degree burns when her party balloons exploded.

Giang Pham, 33, was at a restaurant in the Vietnamese capital of Hanoi on February 14, preparing to blow out the candles on her birthday cake when the hydrogen-filled balloons she was holding drifted toward the flames.

The highly combustible gas erupted from the balloons, engulfing Giang in a fireball.

Terrified guests screamed as she dropped the cake and, with smoke still wafting from her head, she rushed to find water to douse her face.

She rushed to hospital, where doctors said she suffered first and second-degree burns across her face.

She suffered burns to her eyelids, but her vision was not severely affected.

The balloons exploded when they touched the candle. Photo / ViralPress

Giang said it took days to come to terms with what happened.

“The incident happened six days ago, but only today have I calmed down enough to review the explosion that caused my burns,” she said.

“Over the past few days, my friends have asked me about my condition and I have sent them the video, but I have not had the courage to watch it. The incident scared me so much.

“When I found out that I had burns on my face, I was very confused.”

Giang Pham faces a long recovery from her injuries.

She said she “cried all day” and was initially worried how permanent the damage would be.

“Doctors said that my burns would not leave scars after they healed completely. However, it will take months for my skin to recover its colour.”

Giang shared photos of her recovery, showing her head and face wrapped in bandages.

She claimed the organisers had forgotten to warn her that the hydrogen balloons were flammable.

“When the balloon exploded, the fire flared up, rising high and burning the entire array of balloons the restaurant had prepared. Luckily, these balloons contained normal air, otherwise it could have led to a serious fire,” Giang said.

“If I had known, I would never have put myself in such a dangerous situation. That is also the reason I posted this story, sharing my unfortunate accident,” she added.

“I hope that through my accident, people will understand and be more careful when using balloons, not letting themselves fall into dangerous situations or have unnecessary accidents.”

Hydrogen is highly flammable and, due to its low ignition energy, even small sparks can set off a powerful explosion.