Briton held over death of priest in Vietnam

Police in Vietnam have detained a Briton in connection with the murder of a priest, also from Britain, with whom he entered the country as a tourist.

Monsignor Peter Dao Duc Diem, 63, who had been living in east London, bled to death after being stabbed in the neck two weeks ago during the run-up to lunar new year celebrations in Hue City, a cultural centre 430 miles from Hanoi. The Roman Catholic priest had returned to celebrate the new year in his home country for the first time since leaving as a "boat person" 24 years ago.

Officials said Doan Christopher Thanh, 27, a British passport holder of Vietnamese origin, was assisting police with inquiries but had not been charged with any offence.

The two men were said to have checked in together at the Truong Giang Hotel on 23 January, with Mr Thanh describing himself as Mgr Diem's adopted son. Hotel staff said they became concerned on 25 January when Mr Thanh made countless telephone calls to the reception desk to check whether his "father" had come down for breakfast.

Later that morning a security guard noticed a shattered window pane in the room that the men had been sharing and went to investigate. The priest, with several knife wounds in his neck, was found dead on a bed. Mgr Diem entered the priesthood in Vietnam in 1969. A decade later, after 14 thwarted escape attempts, he joined the exodus of Vietnamese asylum-seekers, known as "boat people", and was allowed into Britain where he found a position at a parish in Birmingham. He had been living recently in east London.

In recognition of his service for the Vietnamese community in Birmingham, a website for the city credited the priest for being "a magnet for many Vietnamese" who fled to Britain as refugees.

Hue is Vietnam's cultural and religious centre. The lunar new year attracts thousands of visitors to the former imperial city for its colourful, ancient festivities.