This is the dramatic moment a brave teacher jumped into a river to save a teenage girl who plunged from a bridge in Vietnam.

PE teacher Nguyen Thi Mai, 37, was on her way home when she saw the youngster fall into the fast-flowing river in Nam Dinh, on May 26.

The quick-thinking woman said she raced down the steps of the Do Quan bridge and ran some 100ft along the embankment before leaping into the water.

Footage shows how she swam 25ft through fast-flowing currents toward the drowning student struggling in the river. Battling the powerful swells, Mai dragged the girl safely back to shore.

The high school student, identified by police only as TMA, 18, was reportedly having family difficulties after her parents' divorce. She is currently living with her grandmother.

Her mother, an officer at a local environmental company, was understood to often scold her while her father, a soldier stationed in Lao Cai province, was seldom at home.

Authorities said TMA was in stable condition and was receiving professional psychological support at home.

Hero teacher Mai said she has been teaching physical education at a local elementary school for several years.

She said: 'At that moment, I didn't think about anything else. I just knew I had to get her out of the water.

'I had no time to call for help because she would have drowned. I'm happy and relieved that I managed to save her in time.'

The heart-stopping rescue comes just three days after police saved a heartbroken tourist trying to leap off a bridge in Da Nang.

The distressed holidaymaker, 29, had tried to jump from the structure on May 23 after a row with his Vietnamese girlfriend.

Firefighters and police raced to drag him from the outer edge of the railing. Despite his resistance and large size, they managed to subdue him.

The man was taken to the Nai Hien Dong Ward to calm down.