In pictures: Ho Chi Minh's inferno

Dozens of people have been killed in a large fire in a building that houses offices of foreign companies, shops and a disco in Vietnam's major commercial centre, Ho Chi Minh City.

It took firefighters more than three hours to get suitable ladders to the scene

They managed to put the blaze out in about five hours - but the building remained too hot to search

There was a desperate scramble to escape, as smoke billowed from the building

Many people were believed to be trapped in the inferno - it is not known how many people were inside when the fire started

The fire may have started at a disco in the complex - its cause was not immediately known

At least 50 people were taken to hospital, as firefighters were facing tough questions over their actions

While local traders from nearby stalls tried to save their goods