Vietnam said it would double check ralated protocols and work closely with foreign diplomatic representations to avoid deaths like the one happened to a South Korean national.

Spokesperson Le Thi Thu Hang of Vietnam’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said a press release on July 22 in response to question on the procedures of informing the death.

Treating Covid-19 patient at Cho Ray Hospital. Photo: Cho Ray Hospital

According to the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Foreign Affairs, a 58-year-old South Korean man died of Covid-19 at Cho Ray Hospital on July 13. The body was cremated on the same day according to anti-pandemic regulations.

The department said it has sent a diplomatic note to the South Korea General Consulate in Ho Chi Minh City and a letter to the family, and informed relevant agencies.

Earlier, the South Korea General Consulate said the man who lived in the city was quarantined after he was tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 in early July.

The Korea Times reported that the body was cremated without notice to the family and the consulate.

“We are terribly sorry and send our deepest condolences to the family for this loss,” Hang said in a statement.

She said the patient was treated at one of Vietnam’s leading medical institutions, receiving care with the best conditions by health professionals but unluckily he did not survive.

Vietnamese authorities have worked with the South Korean side for related issues.

“We affirm that the Vietnamese government always ensures healthcare for foreigners in Vietnam, including South Koreans, especially in the current context of the complicated Covid-19 pandemic,” Hang said.

More than 160,000 South Koreans, mostly businesspeople have settled down in Vietnam.