Key Events

• Death of Prominent Tibetan Lama in Vietnam Sparks Calls for Transparency 
• U.S. and Vietnam Initiate Trade Talks as 46% Tariff Paused
• Vietnam’s Public Security Ministry Proposes Eliminating Prosecutors’ Investigative Authority
• Vietnamese Monk’s Path to India Advances with Arrival in Sri Lanka

Tibetan Lama’s Mysterious Death in Vietnam Raises International Alarm

The recent death of Tibetan spiritual leader Humkar Dorje Rinpoche in Hồ Chí Minh City has sparked international concern and calls for a thorough investigation. Human Rights Watch (HRW) has urged the Vietnamese government to conduct a credible and impartial inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the 56-year-old lama’s demise on March 29.

Humkar Dorje, head of the Lung Ngon Monastery in Qinghai Province, China, was renowned for his educational initiatives, including founding a vocational school and over 10 other institutions promoting Tibetan language and culture. His disappearance in late 2024, following reported interrogations by Chinese authorities, had already raised alarms among his followers, particularly in India.​