The three-year old Vietnamese boy from Southwestern province Dong Thap of Vietnam confirmed of being infected H5N1 virus died, a local doctor from the Ho Chi Minh Hospital of Tropical Diseases told Xinhua Thursday.

The infected patient named Tran Cong Phuc died this afternoon because of severe breathing difficulty caused by H5N1 virus tested by the hospital, said the doctor.

The boy was taken to the Ho Chi Minh Hospital of Tropical Diseases on Monday with symptoms similar to bird flu patients.

He contacted with ducks raised by nearby farms before developing bird flu symptoms, said his family member.

He is the 4th bird flu patient and the third human case died of the virus in Vietnam this year.

In 2008, bird flu killed five people in Vietnam.

Currently, Vietnam reports five provinces nationwide hit by avian flu including three provinces in Mekong Delta, namely Ca Mau, Soc Trang, and Bac Lieu, and two northern provinces of Quang Ninh and Dien Bien, according to Vietnam's Department of Animal Health under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

(Xinhua News Agency March 20, 2009)