Obituary: Sam Ly

Mr Ly died in hospital a week after the bus bombing

The only Australian killed in the bombings, Sam Ly has been honoured with combined Buddhist and civil ceremonies conducted in English, Vietnamese and Cantonese.

The services in his home-town of Melbourne reflected the mix of cultures which shaped the 28-year-old, who died from injuries sustained in the blast on a bus in Tavistock Square.

Mr Ly was born in Vietnam in 1977, three years before his family escaped in a boat and made its way to Australia.

He was raised by his father in Melbourne after his mother died when he was a toddler.

He was employed at Melbourne's Monash University for four years, before heading to London with his girlfriend two years ago for a working holiday.

Family at bedside

When the computer worker was recovered with serious injuries from the wreckage of the bus, his father and nephew flew to London to be at his hospital bedside.

But he died on 14 July, one week after the blast.

His girlfriend of six years, Mandy Ha, accompanied his body back to Australia.

Widely acknowledged as a very friendly, extremely helpful person Ex-boss Margo Hellyer

She described him as a loving partner, devoted son, doting uncle and fun-loving friend with a zest for life.

Margo Hellyer, his former boss in the IT division of Monash University, told ABC Australia: "He was really widely acknowledged as a very friendly, extremely helpful person, outgoing, and just very much a real pleasure to have in your team and work with.

"Those sort of people you really love working with, and we're all touched and saddened by what's happened."

A night before the secular funeral service, 100 members of Melbourne's Vietnamese community held a prayer vigil in a chapel.

As is traditional, incense, food and money were placed on an altar to help take Mr Ly to the next life.