LONDON/HANOI (PA Media/dpa) : The UK's Foreign Office has confirmed it is in contact with local authorities following the death of a British woman in Vietnam.
Greta Marie Otteson, 33, and her South African fiancé Arno Quinton Els, 36, are believed to have been found dead in separate rooms at the Hoi An Silverbell villa in Hoi An, central Quang Nam Province, on the morning of December 26, 2024.
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) said on Friday they were providing support to Otteson’s family following the news of her death.
An FCDO spokesperson said: "We are supporting the family of a British woman who has died in Vietnam and are in contact with the local authorities."
A report by local Tuoi Tre News said initial investigations found no external signs of trauma on the bodies of Otteson or Els, who were found lying on their beds in separate rooms of the resort.
Another report by state-run Vietnam News said local police officers who attended the scenes found several empty bottles of alcohol, which they collected for analysis.
It added the couple had registered for long-term temporary residence at the tourist villa on July 4, 2024.
Otteson ran a social media and brand marketing company called Not Sorry Social and had previously worked in a number of locations including Los Angeles, Paris and Dubai, before travelling to Vietnam with her partner Els.
Els was a professional barista, musician and streamer, who also previously worked as a stand-up comedian.
On December 11, the couple surprised their loved ones by announcing their engagement in a video posted on Instagram by Red Eye Studios.
The post's caption read: "Living in the romantic city of Hoi-An, our good friends Greta and Arno decided to surprise their families with a beautiful video to announce their engagement."
In November 2024, six people, including British lawyer Simone White, died due to suspected methanol poisoning in Vietnam's neighbouring Laos.
White, 28, from Orpington, Kent, was one of a number of people taken to hospital after the incident in the popular backpacking town of Vang Vieng.
Police in Laos have detained several people in connection with the death of White and five others, including two Australian teenagers, two Danish women and an American man.
Those poisoned in the incident are believed to have been served drinks contaminated with methanol, which is sometimes used by disreputable bars as a cheaper alternative to ethanol but can cause severe poisoning or death. - dpa
