When someone dies in Vietnam
The process when a British national dies in Vietnam, including registering the death, funerals and cremations, and bringing the person’s body to the UK.
Contacting the insurance company
If the person who died had insurance, contact their insurance company as soon as possible. Read the general guidance on what to do when someone dies abroad if you’re not sure if they had insurance.
The insurance company should appoint a funeral director in Vietnam and the UK. They may also cover the cost of bringing the person’s body to the UK (repatriation) and help with any medical, legal, interpretation and translation fees.
If the person who died did not have insurance, the next of kin will have to appoint a funeral director and will usually be responsible for all costs. The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office cannot help with these costs.
Registering the death
The death must be registered at the local ward People’s Committee (in Vietnamese: Ủy ban nhân dân phường). Your funeral director can normally do this for you.
The following documents are required to apply for a local death certificate:
- completed application form (available at the ward People’s Committee and in Vietnamese only)
- original death notification (may be issued by the hospital) or other documents such as post-mortem report
- temporary registered address of the deceased
- copy of visa and passport of the deceased (certified copy or original passport)
- copies of the applicant’s ID or passport (funeral director or person appointed by the next of kin)
Getting a death certificate
After registering the death, it takes approximately one week to obtain a death certificate (in Vietnamese: Giấy chứng tử) and longer during national holidays. The certificate will be in Vietnamese. The funeral director can also arrange for a certified and translated copy. You can obtain further copies through the funeral director or by having certified copies made by a local public notary. Only Vietnamese death notifications give the cause of death while death certificates do not.
Mortuary facilities
After someone has died in Vietnam, they are taken to the nearest mortuary. There are mortuary facilities at every state hospital, however the storage capacity is limited and the standards might not be comparable to the UK mortuary facilities.
Mortuary and cold storage fees vary and can be expensive. Charges are normally by the day. The next of kin will be expected to pay mortuary or cold storage fees before the body can be released. Your funeral director can provide current advice and facilitate any payments.
If the death was unnatural, the body might need to be identified. If the deceased was travelling with a friend or relative, they may be asked to do this. Consular staff cannot formally identify a body and are not obliged to see or accompany the family to see the deceased. Should a family member wish to visit the mortuary the funeral director will accompany them.
Postmortems in Vietnam
A postmortem is a medical examination of the body. There might be one in Vietnam if the cause of death is unknown, unnatural, sudden or violent. The final decision on whether a postmortem will take place is made by the Vietnamese police. If you do not want a postmortem to take place, you can ask the police to consider waiving this requirement. In cases where cause of death is undetermined, police might overrule family’s request and proceed with the postmortem autopsy. Please note that if no postmortem takes place in Vietnam, including following a request by the next of kin, this may impact any police investigation and could mean that the police are not able to prosecute in cases where they may otherwise do so.
The postmortem will be performed by a pathologist in the presence of the police at the mortuary where the body is being kept. A postmortem usually takes place within a few days of the body being taken to the mortuary.
The body will be released as soon as the postmortem is complete. The repatriation, funeral or cremation does not have to wait until all samples have been tested. Your funeral director will advise you as to the precise timelines.
Postmortem reports may be available if formally requested. The Embassy/Consulate-General can make this request on your behalf. Please note that in Vietnam, it may take anything from a couple of weeks to a several few months to obtain the report. The report will be in Vietnamese, for an official translation refer to our list of translators.
Burying or cremating the body in Vietnam
You need a local funeral director to arrange a burial or cremation in Vietnam. Your funeral director can give you advice. For a burial, cremation, or repatriation, the local authorities require a diplomatic note from the Embassy and Consulate General confirming family’s wishes on the local funeral arrangement. Family of the deceased will need to confirm in writing with the Embassy and Consulate General that they have no objection to a local burial, cremation or a repatriation before a diplomatic note could be issued.
Local hospitals normally embalm the mortal remains which may impact a future postmortem, should you wish to request one once the body has been returned to the UK. If you have concerns about the preservation of the body for future tests please speak to your funeral director.
Permission from the Quarantine and Customs and Immigration Office is required before the body can be released for local burial/cremation or repatriation. Your funeral director can arrange this.
You should not have the burial/ cremation abroad if you want a coroner in England and Wales to conduct an inquest into their death. In Scotland, a further investigation may still be possible.
Bringing the body to the UK
If you decide to bring the deceased to the UK for the funeral or cremation, you may only need to appoint an international funeral director. While working with an insurance company, ensure that they approve of your choice of funeral director.
The procedures to repatriate the body includes getting permission from the Quarantine and Customs and Immigration Office. Your funeral director can arrange this.
Please note that costs can vary greatly. Local formalities for repatriation normally take approximately a week to complete but please obtain quotes from some local funeral directors for an idea of both prices and timings.
When taking the person’s body to the UK from Vietnam you will need:
- death certificate
- passport of the person who died
- International medical quarantine certificate (from Hanoi International Centre for Disease Control)
- certificate of preservation of remains
Bringing the ashes to the UK
Ask your funeral director about the rules for bringing ashes to the UK.
Bringing the ashes to the UK yourself
If you are taking the ashes with you when you leave Vietnam you will need:
- death certificate
- cremation certificate
- International medical quarantine certificate (from Hanoi International Centre for Disease Control
- to notify the airline in advance
Arranging for the ashes to be taken to the UK
Ask your funeral director for advice if you cannot take the ashes yourself. You may not be able to send them by post or courier. Ashes can be shipped by air freight, although this can be expensive.
Getting the person’s belongings back
Belongings the person had with them when they died are normally given to the next of kin or the Vietnamese police.
If the person’s body is repatriated to the UK, you can ask your local funeral director to collect all the belongings and transport them together. If not transported with the body, the belongings may be sent back via post or courier, although there might be difficulties taking items such as used clothing valuable jewellery or electronic devices. All costs will have to be borne by the family or insurance company.
The British Embassy/Consulate-General cannot store or ship the belongings.
Belongings may be kept as evidence if there is an investigation into the death and not returned.
British passport cancellation
In order to avoid identity fraud, the passport of the person who died should be cancelled with HM Passport Office (HMPO). You or your funeral director should bring the passport to the nearest Embassy or Consulate for consular staff to support with the cancellation.
If you plan to repatriate the person who died to the UK, you will need their passport to do this. We will return the cancelled passport to you or the undertaker arranging the repatriation.
UK coroners and inquests
If you repatriate the person who died to England and Wales, there may be an inquest. The decision on when to hold an inquest is made by His Majesty’s Coroner. Please note, an inquest will usually only happen in certain situations, for example, when someone has died in suspicious, unnatural, and violent circumstances or whilst in detention. If the person who died is cremated and only their ashes are brought home, there will not be an inquest.
If you repatriate the person who died to Scotland, the Procurator Fiscal may decide to call for a Fatal Accidents or Injuries Inquiry.
If you repatriate the person who died to Northern Ireland, there will be no coronial inquest or further inquiry.
Please note, Procurators Fiscal and Coroners do not have jurisdiction in another country, nor do they seek to apportion blame to a named individual.
You can find more information on Coroners and the Procurator Fiscal in the FCDO guide on death abroad.
Finding a Vietnamese translator
You may need a translator or interpreter to help you understand Vietnamese rules or get documents translated. Check official translators and interpreters in Vietnam. The embassy or consulate in Vietnam cannot provide translation/interpretation services or pay for translation/interpretation costs.
Finding a Vietnamese lawyer
You may need a lawyer to help you understand the Vietnam legal system when someone has died. Check English-speaking lawyers in Vietnam. The embassy or consulate in Vietnam cannot give you legal advice or pay for legal costs.
Telling the UK authorities
Although you do not have to register the death in the UK, when someone dies abroad you still need to tell the UK authorities. Read general guidance on what to do when someone dies abroad to find out what to do.
Contacting the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO)
You can contact the FCDO if you still need advice:
- in the UK call +44 (0)20 7008 5000
- see how to get help from the UK government abroad