Personal friends and supporters of former conjoined twins Nguyen Viet and Nguyen Duc expressed sadness Saturday after learning of Viet's death.</PARAGRAPH> <PHOTO> <TABLE WIDTH='250' ALIGN='RIGHT' BORDER='0'> <TR> <TD><IMG ALT='News photo' BORDER='0' SRC='../images/photos2007/nn20071007a3a.jpg' WIDTH='250' HEIGHT='234'/></TD> </TR> <TR> <TD><FONT SIZE='1'><B>Nguyen Viet –

and his brother Duc play on a specially made wheelchair sent from Japan at a hospital in Ho Chi Minh City in April 1986. KYODO PHOTO

Nguyen Viet, 26 and bedridden, died Saturday of pneumonia and abdominal bleeding at a hospital in Ho Chi Minh City.

The twins were born conjoined apparently due to Agent Orange, a defoliant spread in great amounts by the U.S. military during the Vietnam War. They were separated in 1988 with the help of Japanese doctors.

"It's been 19 years since the operation to separate the two. Viet has made so much efforts to live through his life. We were hoping to celebrate the 20th anniversary of their separation next year," said Masami Kawahara, secretary general of a Fukui-based support group called Viet-chan to Duc-chan no Hattatsu wo negau-kai (Group working for the healthy growth of Viet and Duc).

Kawahara, currently deputy curator of a library in Wakasa, Fukui Prefecture, has been supporting the twins for 20 years.

Nozomu Ozaki, a doctor and head of a nonprofit organization supporting disabled Vietnamese and researching the effects of defoliants, saw Nguyen Viet at the hospital in August.

"Although Viet couldn't talk, I can't forget his impressive smile he showed when eating meals. For the sake of Viet, we want to step up our efforts to find out more about the effects of defoliants," Ozaki said.

Goro Nakamura, the only photographer who was allowed to enter the operating room and take photos of the operation to separate the twins in 1988, also expressed his condolences.

"Duc must be thankful for Viet as he is living with some of the organs he shared with Viet (prior to the separation)," Nakamura said.