Vietnam’s Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has asked local authorities to soon bring home 39 Vietnamese nationals who were found dead in a refrigerated truck in Essex, the UK last month.

A man in Vietnam's central province of Nghe An has a younger brother missing. Photo: VnExpress

The request was made yesterday [November 7] after the Vietnamese Ministry of Public Security announced that all the victims are Vietnamese.

The victims are from the northern coastal city of Haiphong, the northern city of Hai Duong, and the central provinces of Nghe An, Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, and Thua Thien-Hue.

On the same day, Essex Police and British Ambassador to Vietnam Gareth Ward announced that all the victims have been identified and the families of those victims have been notified.

People in the northern province of Nghe An wait for news on their relatives. Photo: VnExpress

The name of the Vietnamese victims, including 31 men and 8 women, were not released.

“It is only right that we provide an opportunity for family members to take in the news confirming the death of their loved ones before releasing any further information. Our thoughts remain with the families and friends of those whose tragic journey ended on our shores,” Essex Police said in a statement.

A father in the central province of Ha Tinh lost his son in the truck death case. Photo: Thanh Nien

Essex Police continues to lead the investigation, working with the National Crime Agency and with European Law Enforcement colleagues.

The Vietnamese PM expected the investigations will be soon completed. He strongly condemned human smuggling and called for tightened cooperation to crack down on this kind of crime.

Essex Fire and Crime Commissioner Mr. Hirst said: “This is a truly tragic event and of course it has attracted a lot of attention from the media and the public. I have heard from many of our residents how shocked they have been that this has happened in our county and their heartfelt concern for the victims and their families.