One of the banners of Mrs. Mai. Photo: An Nhon

Mr. Le Hieu Truong Hai, Vice Chair of District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, said that the incident was discovered at 6am on Friday by two guards of the Thong Nhat Palace. They tried to stamp out the fire and take the victim to a Saigon hospital but she did not survive.

The victim is Mrs. Le Thi Tuyet Mai, a resident of Bui Dinh Tuy Street, Ward 24, Binh Thanh District.

At the scene, the police found six handwritten banners, a pair of sandals and a plastic can which was nearly completely burnt. The banners were written: "Wish for the country’s peace", "China, return the peaceful sea to our country", "Support the Coast Guard and fishermen", "Please support the people of Vietnam to defend our territorial waters"

Senior Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Thanh Liem, deputy police chief of District 1, said a preliminary investigation had established the events leading up to the suicide protest. At around 5.30am, the woman called a cab and asked the driver to take her to Thong Nhat Palace in District 1. Upon arrival, the woman gave her glasses and cell phones to the driver and told him to give them to her son, a 45-year-old man.

The scene.

The driver did as he was requested. Upon receiving the items, the son asked the driver to take him to Thong Nhat Palace, where he saw the police was examining the scene. "Through the letters and jewelry, the son confirmed that the woman was his mother," said Colonel Liem.

According to the investigation, Mai had five children and lived with the above-mentioned son. Mai had suffered from high blood pressure and one arm was paralyzed after an accident. Recently, family members sensed that Mai was frequently sad. She often watched TV but did not have any expression or action that suggested suicidal tendencies. Before leaving her house, the woman took with her a plastic can and told her son that she was going to the pagoda that she used to visit.

The police are still investigating the case.