Three British tourists killed climbing waterfalls in central Vietnam

Their tour guide has been arrested by police and detained for questioning

The Datanla waterfall in central Vietnam (Nick Postorino/Flickr)

A British man who died, along with two other British women tourists, while climbing waterfalls in central Vietnam has been named.

Christian Sloan, 25, and two women aged 19 and 25, died after taking a tour with an unauthorised guide at the Datanla waterfalls in Lam Dong province - a popular tourist spot.

The family of Mr Sloan, a former Royal Navy sailor, said: "Christian's death is a very sad loss to us. He was a very popular young man, formerly in the Royal Navy, who had many, many friends not just locally but around the world. He lived for life."

It was not immediately clear how the three died but their guide has been arrested and is being questioned by police.

“We are working on the reasons for their deaths,” Dalat city's deputy police chief Bui Duc Ro told AFP.

Vo Anh Tan, deputy director of the Lam Dong joint stock tourist company that manages the Datanla waterfalls said an unauthorised local private tour operator organised the trip for the tourists.

Mr Vo said apparently he did not pay for entrance tickets and did not use the company’s safety gear.

He also said the guide had been detained by police for questioning.

Emergency workers reportedly climbed down a steep slope near the waterfall to recover the bodies that were discovered wearing life jackets.