British Embassy in Vietnam opens condolence book in wake of Queen’s passing

In an announcement on its Facebook page on Friday, the U.K. Embassy in Vietnam said condolence books at the Embassy in Hanoi and the Consulate-General in Ho Chi Minh City would be open until 4 p.m. on Friday and from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. from next Monday to Friday for people who wish to send personal messages of condolence.

An online Book of Condolence is also available on the Royal website, it added.

Queen Elizabeth, Britain's longest-reigning monarch and the nation's figurehead, died peacefully at her home in Scotland on Thursday aged 96, Reuters reported.

"The death of my beloved Mother, Her Majesty The Queen, is a moment of the greatest sadness for me and all members of my family," her eldest son Charles, the new king, said. He and his wife Camilla, the Queen Consort, would remain at the Balmoral Castle before returning to London on Friday.

Thousands gathered outside Buckingham Palace in central London to pay respect to the late monarch. Details of the funeral have not been confirmed.