VietNamNet Bridge – Of the 298 passengers killed on the fateful Malaysia Airlines MH17 flight shot down over eastern Ukraine, three were passengers of Vietnamese origin.

In the extended session of the UN Security Council on July 18, Vietnam’s Ambassador to the UN, Mr. Le Hoai Trung, said Vietnam had been informed of three deaths: Mrs. Nguyen Ngoc Minh, 37, Dutch nationality and her two children, Dang Minh Chau, born in 1997 and Dang Quoc Huy, born in 2001.

They had planned to transit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, before flying to Hanoi for the summer break.

Minh was born in Hanoi but she settled in a small town about 60 km of the capital Amsterdam (Netherlands). Her husband died in an accident in late 2013.

Ambassador Le Hoai Trung said Vietnam proposed to conduct a quick investigation of the incident. As a member of ASEAN, Vietnam is close with the government and people of Malaysia. Vietnam urges the authorities to act quickly, effectively and responsibly for the victim's family.

Concerning the situation in Ukraine, Ambassador Le Hoai Trung said Vietnam is keeping an eye on the situation and is deeply concerned about the recent events in the eastern provinces of Ukraine.

The Ambassador said: "We hope that all parties concerned will refrain and avoid any actions that could exacerbate the situation and cause civilian casualties."

A few minutes after his statement, Ambassador of Malaysia to the United Nations, Hussein Haniff, said of the 298 victims, there were 189 citizens from the Netherlands, 44 from Malaysia, 27 from Australia, 12 from Indonesia, nine from the UK, four from Germany, four from Belgium, three from the Philippines, one from Canada, and one from New Zealand and four passengers who are currently unidentified.

Meanwhile, President Barack Obama said there was one American on the doomed flight, according to the Associated Press.

Representatives from the above countries have requested an independent investigation in order to determine the cause of the accident.

Kim Minh