Mystery as Brit dies hours after arriving in Vietnam: Family flies out ‘to find answers’ after 31-year-old man found collapsed outside nightclub
- Darren Blair, 31, died hours after arriving in Hanoi, Vietnam.
- But the Vietnamese embassy gave his family two different stories about his death.
- His family has flown to Hanoi to get concrete answers.
The family of a man who died in Vietnam hours after arriving in the country has flown in seeking answers about his death.
Darren Blair, described as a “pillar” of Nottingham for his work in the city’s music scene, died in Hanoi, capital of Vietnam, in the early hours of September 26.
His sister, Catherine Nichol, says Darren’s family have been told two different stories about the events leading up to his death at age 31.
Catherine claims she was initially told by the Vietnamese Embassy in London that Darren died at 5.30am in hospital, after he was found unconscious but breathing outside a nightclub.
But he said the embassy later told him that nightclub staff tried to wake him up after he fell asleep on a couch in the club.
Darren Blair (pictured) was just 31 years old when he died in Hanoi, Vietnam.
I was on vacation in the country, taking a break after spending time in Japan for work.
In the second version of events, emergency services took him to hospital and he allegedly died at 6:40 am.
The embassy reportedly told his family that the only belongings he had were his bank card and a keychain from his hotel room.
His family doesn’t know where his phone is or where his other possessions are.
An autopsy has yet to be performed on his body, leaving Darren’s family with more questions than answers.
Catherine is one of several of Darren’s relatives who flew to Hanoi on Sunday to pressure authorities for concrete answers.
‘There are a million things going through my head and the embassy is not helping me, so we are going to fly to solve this. “We just need some answers,” she said. NottinghamshireLive.
Darren, who worked for eight years with the company behind the Disney on Ice world tour, had just finished working in Japan and decided to take a week’s break in Vietnam before the tour resumed.
After his arrival in Vietnam on September 25, Nottinghamshire Police visited his parents and broke the news that he had died the following day.
As well as the lack of answers, the family are facing huge financial pressures as they may have to pay tens of thousands of pounds to repatriate the body.
The family were reportedly given an estimated cost to recover Darren’s body of £20,000 to £30,000, but said the final bill to sort out all his affairs will likely cost £50,000.
A GoFundMe page set up to help pay the costs has raised more than £22,000 at the time of publication.
This is complicated by the fact that his family does not know if he was covered by travel insurance at the time of his death.
Catherine described her late brother as a “pillar” of Nottingham. She worked events at Nottingham’s Ice Arena from the age of 18 and managed several local bands while working abroad.
Comments on the family’s GoFundMe page speak to their connection to the city.
One of them says: “I met Darren last year and he was great, just a fantastic, amazing guy.” Always happy and optimistic, he will be deeply missed by everyone he met in his exciting life. He considered him a brother and I will miss him dearly.’
Another said: “I remember Darren very fondly when I worked with him on I’m Not From London.” Thanks, Darren. For all your energy and enthusiasm. It was nice meeting you. No doubt many people will miss you.
MailOnline has contacted the Vietnamese embassy in London for comment.
