Published: Thursday, 18th June, 2009 9:10am

Tributes as Inverkeithing man dies in Vietnam

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TRIBUTES have been paid to an adventurous and popular Inverkeithing man who has died in a tragic accident in Vietnam.

Globe-trotting Charlie Gallagher (39, left) is believed to have tripped and fallen to his death from an indoor stairwell at the flat where he stayed in Ho Chi Minh City on Sunday 7th June.

He was rushed to hospital but never regained consciousness and was pronounced dead the following day.

Mr Gallagher had stayed in the southern Vietnamese city, also known as Saigon, for four years, building up a wide circle of friends from the local and ex-pat community.

They paid tribute to him on social networking site Facebook, where a page called "In Remembrance" was set up in his memory.

His mum, Anne Gallagher, Manse Road, told the Press she and Charlie"s brother, Mark (36), had been overwhelmed with the response following the tragedy, which has happened in the same month her late husband and Charlie"s dad, Charles, passed away in an accident in 1973, aged just 27.

She said, 'Everybody has been brilliant. My house is like a florist"s and there have been so many cards and phone calls – it"s amazing.

'From what we can gather he came home from the pub and fell down an inside stairwell with a low banister from the third floor. A man heard, got the landlady and took him to hospital.

'His friends have been brilliant getting in touch with the British Consulate to move things along.'

Mrs Gallagher continued, 'He had itchy feet and was not into having a 9-to-5 job, wearing a collar and tie. In 2001, he saw a film called The Beach which made him want to go to Thailand. He had a good job here with Standard Life but it wasn"t what he wanted. He gave it all up and went away.

'I didn"t always agree with him going away all those times but I loved him no matter what. He was happy there (in Vietnam) and had a huge circle of friends .

'He always kept in touch by phoning and texting, so thank goodness for mobile phones. He also read the Press online to find out what was going on locally.

'I sent him Tetley tea-bags because he didn"t like the tea there and I even sent a crash helmet once as he liked flying through the city streets on his scooter.

'The scooter was all done up in Celtic colours then done in Scotland colours, which was beautiful.

'We have many photos of him lying in the swimming pool and things like that.

'He did what he wanted to do and though I didn"t always agree, I think now maybe that was for the best.'

Friends in Ho Chi Minh City, the largest city in Vietnam, held a special send-off for Mr Gallagher at local bar Voodoo.

Messages, photos and even videos have been placed on Facebook to commemorate his life, with postings made by family and friends as well as schoolmates from his time at Inverkeithing High School.

One friend wrote, 'Hey, Charlie! We had a good send-off for you tonight at Voodoo.

'We all shared an ocean of tears and a world of laughter remembering all the smiles and joy you brought us.

'I think I can say for all of us that our lives are a little better off for you being around.'

Another wrote, 'Charlie my good friend, our paths cross miles from home, we met in a strange, far-away land, together we became friends for a good few years and I"m happy we did but now its time to say goodbye.

'God took you away. It doesn"t seem fair but in the back of my mind, you will always be there.'

Another post states, 'A sad loss to the Scottish community of Saigon.'

Mr Gallagher"s body is in the process of being flown back to Scotland, with a date for a funeral to be arranged.

For information on the funeral, contact John Stoddart & Sons on 721284.