A FORMER Rolls-Royce and Bombardier worker has died in what appears to have been a tragic holiday accident in Vietnam.
The body of David Wright, 63, was retrieved on the shore of the idyllic beauty spot of Ha Long Bay, in the north of the country.
David, from Calvert Street, Derby, was on holiday with his friend, Judy Lomas, and they were on a local cruise boat. She said it appears he got up in the middle of the night, slipped and fell overboard in the dark.
The cruise was a treat at the end of a two-week adventure and the friends were due to fly home the following day.
Judy, 67, who lives in Etwall, said: "I remember David telling me he was so happy that evening. He told me that this was the best day of his life."
David was a founder member of the Derby Telegraph's camera club, TogsQuad, and a keen photographer.
He took many pictures during his trip to Vietnam.
Judy said she and David have been good friends for many years and regularly took trips together.
She said: "We had been trekking and camping in the northern hills in the run-up to this boat trip, so we were used to being out in the wilds.
"On the night when it happened, we were on the boat and there was a party in the evening. We were out in the bay at anchor and it was lovely.
"At the end of the night we all headed off to our separate cabins and in the morning he just wasn't there.
"I realised something was wrong when nobody could find him.
"A member of the crew had knocked on his door to tell him breakfast was ready but he was gone. Everyone was searching the boat.
"Someone called the police when he was nowhere to be found and within a couple of hours they had located him on the shore nearby.
"I thought maybe he got up in the night to visit the bathroom but lost his footing on the deck. Maybe he just slipped and fell.
"David couldn't swim.
"I wondered if he was sleep-walking and at the end of the deck it was open. He could have fallen from there.
"I don't blame anyone for what happened. It was simply a tragic accident."
Judy had to make the journey home alone following the accident a week ago and found it very difficult.
"She said: It was a nightmare and it has been very hard. My journey to get back to the UK was longer than planned."
David retired when he was 58 and before that worked at Rolls-Royce and, most recently for a short contract, Bombardier.
Judy said David told her he had been praised for consistently contributing 'really lovely' pictures to TogsQuad and relished learning more about his camera each time he attended meetings.
One of his best shots taken of kite surfers at Stanage Edge in the Peak was chosen in a competition for the Derbyshire Magazine 2014 calendar.
Judy said: "He was incredibly proud when he won a place in the calendar and he often spoke about it."
"He bought the Derby Telegraph every day and was always so excited to see his images published."
The friends' favourite holiday destination was Nepal.
Judy said: "David loved Nepal and everything about the mountains and the people.
"He was at his happiest there, as was I.
"One of my favourite pictures is of him and I at Everest Base Camp in 2012.
"I couldn't bring back all of his things from Vietnam but I did keep his camera with me as I know he would have wanted me to keep safe his photographs from his adventures."
David and Judy also played bridge together with the East Midlands Bridge club in Spondon, another hobby he thoroughly enjoyed.
David never married and lived in Derby his whole life. He leaves two brothers and two sisters.
Judy said: "His family are devastated about what has happened.
Huong Dinh, communications manager at the British Embassy in Hanoi, said it appeared David drowned in Ha Long Bay. His body has now been taken to the Bai Chay Hospital where they are awaiting an autopsy to find out what happened.
She said: "We are providing consular assistance to David's family at this difficult time.
"We cannot provide any more information at this stage from the embassy but are so sorry to hear this news."
In 2013, David and Judy visited Nepal, Armenia, Slovenia and Sikim in India.
They would always pick trekking holidays and this holiday in Vietnam was their 11th with the same tour operator.
David and Judy also used to take walks in the Peak District together every Sunday.
They had already booked to go away on another two-week break in October.
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