After a gruelling 10-hour surgery, Vietnames Nguyen Duy Hai's 90kg tumour has been successfully removed yesterday (Jan 5).

According to a news report from Tuoitrenews, surgeons have successfully removed his tumour and are now suturing his incisions, said his family at 7:15pm (8.15pm Singapore time).

The surgery team includes five of the France-Vietnam(FV) hospital's anaesthesiologists, McKay McKinnon (the main surgeon), and three surgeons of the FV including Dr. Phan Van Thai, Dr. Le Duc Tuan, and Dr. Nguyen Quoc Thai. In the mean time, Dr. Gerad Desvignes, medical director of FV, is directly supervising the operation.

Hai's family members and friends, who had left Da Lat central highlands province, Hai's hometown, for Ho Chi Minh City to pray for him, burst into tears of happiness after being told that Hai has survived the operation.

The 32-year-old, who had a 90kg tumour on his right leg, was operated on at 9:00am on January 5, 2012 at FV Hospital located in District 7 in which American doctor McKinnon was the main surgeon. Hai's condition is stable and holding well and the operation is expected to be done at least at 9pm (Vietnam time), the family said. Hai was sent to the recovery room at 9:15pm the same day when the historic operation was officially finished.

Dr. McKinnon has agreed to waive his fee on Hai while the remaining costs, around VND252 million (around $12,000), will be covered by donations raised at home and abroad.

Here is the full timeline of what happened, in Vietnam time (1 hour behind Singapore):

6:30am: Hai was sent to the operating room.

6:40am – 8:50am: Hai was anaesthetized and sterilized on the operating table before the surgery began.

8:55am: Dr Mc Kinnon begins to operate on Hai with an electric bistoury.

10:00am: Doctors removed a part of the tumour which is 50cm long and 5 or 7cm deep. 

11:00am: A foreign doctor of FV hospital told Hai’s family that the first phase of the operation is a success.

In the mean time, La Thi Thu Hang, Hai’s sister-in-law who is watching the surgery through live TV, told Tuoitrenews that during the operation, doctors took a white clot, which looked like a chicken egg.

11:15am: Doctors operated down to Hai's rear end. 

1:30pm: The surgery team halted the operation for a while to wash medical equipment and to take a short rest. Before that, they had sutured major blood vessels to prevent bleeding.

The doctors told Hai's family that the operation is expected to finish at 9:00pm today.

7:00pm: the operation to remove his giant tumour was announced to be successful.

9:15pm: Hai was sent to the recovery room and the historic operation was officially finished.