Medical experts have found that around 70 per cent of the Vietnamese population carry a bacteria which causes stomach ulcers and can also lead to stomach cancer.

A leading hospital in Vietnam found that the HP bacteria can be killed with medication that has between an 80-90 per cent success rate, but in Vietnam, the success rate is much lower, sitting between 50-60 per cent.

That’s due to high antibiotic resistance – a major problem in Vietnam where patients often use antibiotics without prescriptions.

The HP bacteria is spread a number of ways — through contaminated food or water sources or from one person to another through mouth to mouth.

Over half of the world’s population carry HP in their upper gastrointestinal tract and infection is more common in developing countries.