A Year On, Vietnam and China Must Account for Tulku Hungkar Dorje’s Death 

A year after the death of Tulku Hungkar Dorje in Ho Chi Minh City, the circumstances surrounding his disappearance, detention, and death remain shrouded in secrecy. The failure of both Chinese and Vietnamese authorities to provide credible explanations has intensified concerns about serious human rights violations and the urgent need for an independent, impartial, and transparent investigation.

Tulku Hungkar Dorje, a prominent Tibetan Buddhist leader and philanthropist, disappeared in late September 2024 following repeated interrogations by Qinghai Public Security Bureau officers. Facing escalating pressure, he fled China and was later located in Vietnam in March 2025. On 25 March, he was reportedly arbitrarily detained in a joint operation involving Chinese and Vietnamese police. Three days later, on 28 March, he died in custody under suspicious and unexplained circumstances.

On 1 April, monastery representatives were shown a death certificate under strict conditions that prevented them from retaining or documenting it. On 5 April, monks who traveled to Vietnam to retrieve his body were excluded from a closed-door meeting at the Chinese Embassy. His body was held at Vinmec Central Park International Hospital and later transferred to a military facility.

On 20 April, Vietnamese authorities, reportedly in coordination with Chinese officials, carried out a hasty cremation of his body at 1:00 AM at the Sakya Buddhist Temple. The cremation was conducted without the knowledge or consent of his family, followers, or monastic community, denying them the ability to perform proper Buddhist rites. 

The sequence of events from enforced disappearance to death in custody and secret cremation points to possible state collusion and raises credible allegations of enforced disappearance and extrajudicial killing. The continued lack of transparency risks setting a dangerous precedent for transnational repression and impunity.

Tulku Hungkar Dorje was widely respected for his spiritual leadership and humanitarian work. As abbot of the Lung Ngon Thubten Choekor Ling monastery in Qinghai province, he established vocational training programs, medical clinics, and community libraries that served thousands, including the elderly and underprivileged. His reported refusal to comply with state-imposed religious directives subjected him to heightened scrutiny by Chinese authorities.

Last year in August, UN human rights experts raised this case with both governments, emphasizing their obligations under international law to protect the right to life, prevent enforced disappearances, and ensure accountability. They warned that failure to conduct prompt, impartial, and transparent investigations violates fundamental human rights standards, including those set out in the Minnesota Protocol on the Investigation of Potentially Unlawful Death.

The experts demanded Chinese authorities to clarify their involvement in Tulku Hungkar Dorje’s arrest and transfer, provide details of any investigations into his death, explain the cremation without family consent, and confirm whether reprisals have been imposed on his monastery or community.

The continued secrecy surrounding Tulku Hungkar Dorje’s case not only violates international human rights law but also inflicts profound psychological harm on his family members and the Tibetan community. We call on the Vietnamese and Chinese government to immediately allow an independent investigation into the circumstances of Tulku Hungkar Dorje’s death and ensure accountability.