An inquest has opened into the death of a Suffolk man who died last year in Vietnam.

Derek Owen was 68 when he died in May last year, while on holiday in Vietnam.

Suffolk Coroners’ Court heard on Friday that Mr Owen had been complaining of severe headaches in the weeks before his death, but dismissed them as just headaches.

On April 23, he left his Bungay home for Vietnam. Throughout his holiday, the headaches persisted and he also had a fever.

The court heard that on May 1, Mr Owen was in the reception area of his hotel, concerned that he was having a stroke. His speech was slurred, and his arm had “dropped”.

An ambulance was called, and Mr Owen was taken to hospital and stabilised before being transferred to a second hospital for further tests.

On May 8, Mr Owen underwent open heart surgery. He was thought to have been recovering well, but then began to deteriorate.

Mr Owen died on May 12 in hospital in Ho Chi Minh City.

A full inquest is expected to take place on April 29.