The Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), the Tibetan government-in-exile, held a media briefing on 8 April to address the unexplained death of the senior monastic leader Tulku Hungkar Dorje Rinpoche, the head of Lungngon Monastery in Golog, in the traditional Tibetan province of Amdo, on 28 March in Vietnam while in the custody of Vietnamese and Chinese security officials.

Tulku Hungkar Rinpoche, 56, is reported to have been living in hiding in Vietnam since September 2024 after being harrased in Tibet by the Chinese authorities. According to the CTA, Tulku Hungkar Rinpoche was arrested in a hotel room in Ho Chi Minh City (commonly known as Saigon) on 25 March and transferred to a public security office three days later, when he is reported to have died. The Chinese government issued an official notice confirming the death of Tulku Hungkar Dorje Rinpoche on 3 April. The incident comes amid a government crackdown in China on influential Tibetan educators and schools that promote Tibetan language and culture in eastern Tibet.

“With deep sadness, the Central Tibetan Administration confirms the sudden and mysterious demise of Tulku Hungkar Dorje, a prominent Tibetan religious leader, in the custody of Chinese officials in Vietnam,” The CTA, which is based in Dharamsala, northern India, said in its official statement. “On 25 March 2025, he was arrested from his hotel room in Saigon, Vietnam, through a coordinated operation by local police and Chinese secret agents. He was subsequently transferred to the local public security office on 28 March, where he suspiciously passed away the same day, raising serious concerns about cross-border security cooperation, transnational repression, and human rights violations that demand immediate and thorough investigation, as well as accountability from both Vietnamese and Chinese authorities.” (Central Tibetan Administration)

Speaking at the media briefing, the director of the Amnye Machen Institute, Ju Tenkyong, stated that Hungkar Rinpoche’s body was being held at Vinmec Central Park International Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City. 

“On 1 April, the Administrative Office of Lungnon Monastery, Hungkar Rinpoche’s monastery in Tibet, summoned relevant individuals to be presented with a death certificate of Tulku Hungkar, but they forbidden [sic] the individuals from keeping the document or taking photographs,” the CTA stated. “On 5 April, five monks from the monastery, accompanied by Chinese government officials and delegates, traveled to Vietnam to retrieve his body. On the same day, a meeting was convened at the Chinese Embassy in Vietnam where Chinese officials attended, while five Tibetans from the monastery were not allowed to sit in the meeting. It remains unclear whether delegates from the monastery were able to view the actual body or transport it back to the monastery.” (Central Tibetan Administration)

The speakers at the press conference appealed for an independent and transparent investigation into Tulku Hungkar Dorje’s death and the immediate release of his body to Lungnon Monastery for proper Buddhist rites.

The news website Phayul reported that beyond his duties as a senior Buddhist monastic, Tulku Hungkar Dorje was committed to promoting education and social welfare, and preserving Tibetan culture: “In 2004, he founded the Tsongon Gesar Welfare Foundation to safeguard and promote the rich heritage of Gesar culture. Recognizing the pressing need for accessible education in Tibet’s nomadic and rural communities, he established the Hunkar Dorje National Vocational High School in 2007 with the approval of the Golog Prefecture government and education department. Over the years, he went on to establish approximately 14 primary and middle schools, offering free education to thousands of Tibetan children. Additionally, he founded numerous monasteries and Buddhist academies, playing an instrumental role in the revitalization of Tibetan religious and cultural traditions.” (Phayul)

The CTA has called on international human rights organizations and governments to press the Chinese government for accountability and to respect the rights and freedoms of the Tibetan people. The CTA’s full statement can be read here.

CTA spokesperson Tenzin Lekshay said that the case illustrated the broader pattern of systematic repression faced by Tibetans, especially those who promote Tibetan identity, language and culture, noting: “The suspicious death of Tulku Hungkar Dorje highlights the ongoing suppression of human rights in Tibet, where people live under constant fear of arrest for the slightest expression of Tibetan identity.” (Central Tibetan Administration)

According to several media reports citing unnamed sources, the Chinese government had accused Tulku Hungkar Dorje of failing to organize an appropriately warm reception for Gyaltsen Norbu, the Chinese government-recognized Panchen Lama, when he visited Golok in 2024, alongside accusations of establishing monasteries and schools without official authorization, and of causing trouble by advocating for the rights of poor and vulnerable Tibetans.

In its own statement published on 9 April, the International research and advocacy NGO Human Rights Watch called on the Vietnamese government to investigate the death of Tulku Hungkar Rinpoche. 

“Hungkar Dorje Rinpoche’s death in Vietnam is especially concerning given the Chinese government’s severe repression of Tibetans and its record of snatching its nationals in Vietnam,” said Human Rights Watch associate China director Maya Wang. “The Vietnamese authorities should credibly and impartially investigate these claims and take appropriate action, including by providing autopsy findings to Humkar Dorje’s family.” (Human Rights Watch)

Tulku Hungkar Dorje was born in 1969 in Golog Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, in China’s Qinghai Province. His father, Padma Tumdag Dorje, also known as Orgyen Kusum Lingpa, was himself a renowned Nyingma master. Tulku Hungkar Dorje received his early monastic education in Buddhist scriptures and traditional Tibetan philosophy at Lungngon Monastery from 1980–89. He later sought to further his spiritual and academic studies in exile, joining Drepung Gomang Monastery in India (1989–94), followed by further studies in the United States in 1995–97. The Chinese government officially recognized his enthronement as the 10th throne-holder of Lungngon Monastery in 2002. He completed advanced studies in Buddhist philosophy in Beijing from 2004–06.

He is the author of several books, including, Thangkas in Golog: The Thangka Album of Lung Ngon Monastery and The Melodious Sound of the Laughter of the Vidyadharas of the Three Lineages. 

Tulku Hungkar Dorje founded the first Buddhist nunnery in Golog history in 2005, and established several schools and vocational learning centers to provide free education to Tibetan children from local nomadic families. According to sources cited by media reports, most of these schools were shut shortly after his disappearance, although one was believed to have been closed in 2021.

During a visit to the United States in 2012, Tulku Hungkar Dorje wrote: “Tibet has a rich history and culture that could benefit the entire world. It is the responsibility of each successive generation to preserve this ancient tradition of knowledge. We are united in motivation and action in enthusiastically preserving and spreading our culture.” (RFA)

See more

China/Vietnam: Suspicious Death of Tibetan High Lama (Human Rights Watch)
Tibetan Buddhist leader missing for 8 months has died, monastery confirms (RFA)
Tibetan Religious Leader Dies Under Suspicion in Chinese Custody (Central Tibetan Administration)
Central Tibetan Administration Holds Press Conference to Address Suspicious Death of Tulku Hungkar Dorje (Central Tibetan Administration)
CTA condemns death of prominent Buddhist leader in Chinese custody in Vietnam (Phayul)
Chinese authorities confirm death of prominent Buddhist leader Tulku Hungkar Dorje (Phayul)
The Chinese Government Has Allegedly Killed Tulku Hungkar Dorje (Tibet Times)
CTA condemns China over mysterious death of Tibetan religious leader Tulku Sungkar Dorje (The Tibet Post)
Chinese police murder a prominent monk of Tibet, overseas Tibetans call for intil. investigations (The Tibet Post)

Related news reports from BDG

Voice for the Voiceless: Dalai Lama’s New Book Illuminates the Path to Succession
Reports: Monastics Expelled from Larung Gar Buddhist Academy
Reports: China Bolstering Military Presence at Larung Gar Buddhist Academy in Sichuan Province
China Appoints Communist Party Officials to Manage Larung Gar Buddhist Academy
Senior Abbot at Larung Gar Says Evictions Almost Complete; Demolition Target Reduced
China Official Says Rebuilding Underway at Larung Gar, 800 Resettled