A Vietnamese man, unable to walk because of a tumour on his right leg that weighs more than the rest of his body, has undergone surgery to have the growth removed.

Nguyen Duy Hai's 90-kilogram tumour was to be cut away by a team of doctors in a risky 10-hour procedure that has a 50 per cent success rate, the France-Vietnam (FV) hospital in Ho Chi Minh City said.

Mr Hai, 31, who suffers from a rare genetic disorder, has been living with the tumour since he was four, the hospital said.

He had part of his leg amputated when he was 17, but the tumour, which is not cancerous, continued to expand, making it difficult to walk and sleep.