A British woman and her South African fiancé were found dead in separate rooms at a luxury Vietnamese villa just three weeks after announcing their engagement.
Greta Marie Otteson, 33, and Arno Els Quinton, 36, allegedly drank wine at the £105-a-night Hoi An Silverbell villa in the town of Hoi An, in the central province of Quang Nam.
They were later discovered dead in separate rooms by shocked resort staff who arrived to clean the property on December 26.
Greta, believed to be from Wales, was said to be lying lifeless in her bed in room 101, before officers burst into Arno’s locked room, 201, and also found him dead.
A provincial police spokesperson said: ‘There were no signs of looting at the scene. The victims’ belongings and phones were left intact.’
Police said there were no signs of trauma and they collected empty liquor bottles from the room for analysis.
The 4.5-star villa located in Cam Thanh District overlooks the river and is just 4.5 km from Hoi An Ancient Town, making it the ideal accommodation for travel lovers.
According to a Vietnam News According to the report, both individuals had registered for long-term temporary residence in the resort village since July 4 this year and were understood to have become engaged in December.
A British woman and her South African fiancé were found dead inside a holiday villa in Vietnam on Boxing Day. Pictured: Hoi An Silverbell Villa in Hoi An city, central Quang Nam province
The couple was found dead in separate rooms by shocked resort staff who arrived to clean the property.
The tragic news of his death came just three weeks after the couple announced their engagement on Instagram.
In a touching Instagram post, uploaded on December 3, Greta and Arno shared a selection of their engagement photos that showed them cuddling on a beach and the bride-to-be’s ring.
December 11 The couple surprised their families with a romantic video posted on YouTube of their engagement.
It contained a montage of clips showing the couple holding hands and walking through Hoi An, Vietnam, with Greta wearing a white dress.
‘This session was filled with a lot of emotion, reminding us how powerful the union of two souls can be. We will miss you great souls,’ Red Eye Studios, the video company, captioned the clip.
In the clip, Arno reveals that the couple met in the Middle East before moving to Vietnam in a life change he described as “fun,” “crazy” and “insane.”
Greta ran a social media and content marketing agency called Not Sorry Social.
According to her Instagram account, she lived in Dubai and traveled to several countries in Asia before settling in Vietnam with her fiancé.
Arno, a professional barista, appears to have worked as a staff manager at an artisanal roastery in the United Arab Emirates until the end of 2023, according to his LinkedIn.
He has also worked as a comedian, event coordinator and music producer.
Following their mysterious deaths, several of their friends have taken to social media to express their condolences and pay tribute to the couple.
One wrote: “Greta loved Arno unconditionally and was his foundation, giving him the freedom to do what he needed without a shaky foundation.”
The couple had applied for temporary residence in the villa last summer.
Greta ran a social media and content marketing agency called Not Sorry Social.
Greta, believed to be from Wales, was said to be lying lifeless in her bed in room 101, before officers burst into Arno’s locked room, 201, and also found him dead.
He went on to say: ‘There are two distinct things that are so prominent in my thoughts and that is their laughter and how much love they were constantly throwing at each other, no matter who was around.
“They were celebrated there and I know they will continue to do so, wherever they are.”
Arno’s friend Dayle Visser wrote online: ‘Rest in peace brother. Thank you for always being the fierce friend that you were. You saved me many times.
‘You were real and lived life harder than most people could dream of. I love you and will always miss you.’
A woman on X/Twitter, claiming to be a spokesperson for the family, also took to the platform to “confirm that Greta Otteson and Arno Els died in Vietnam on December 26.”
Known as Pam, she urged people to “respect the families’ pain and privacy,” stating that “Greta and Arno’s families have not yet claimed their bodies.”
It comes after a British tourist died in Thailand after suffering a severe reaction to magic mushrooms.
The 25-year-old was enjoying a Christmas holiday with his girlfriend when he allegedly bought the hallucinogenic drug at a shop in Chiang Mai.
He reportedly had a horrible instant reaction to the mushrooms and died shortly after.