Body of missing district chairman discovered in Hanoi

The body of a Hanoi district chairman was found on Wednesday following a widescale search that started after he went missing a week ago.

Nguyen Hong Lam, chairman of Quoc Oai District, was found hanging in his house, which was locked from the inside, in an alley in Hoang Mai District.

Local authorities said Lam had been dead for days, and police have cordoned off the area while they investigate the scene.

According to police reports, Lam was last seen leaving his office at 9 p.m. on December 25. He drove a car to a parking lot at the Ministry of Science and Technology on Tran Duy Hung Street in Cau Giay District. He walked down the street and continued his journey to Hoang Mai District, although it’s not clear by what means and with whom.

Lam’s deputy, Do Lai Luat, said he called the district’s Party leader at 6:35 a.m. the following day asking to be absent from a meeting.

His son also received a call from Lam that morning, who said he was “having trouble”.

The family failed to contact him after that and reported him missing to the police.

Police have recovered his car and are tracking CCTV footage. Lam’s mobile signal was last detected near a lake in Hoang Mai District, they confirmed.

Lam, 53, took the district’s chairman post last July after serving for more than 10 years as the deputy chairman.

His colleagues described him as calm and careful with no unusual relationships.