Tourist boat capsizes in Vietnam’s Ha Long Bay, killing dozens
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Diverging Reports Breakdown
Dozens dead in Vietnam after Ha Long Bay tourist ferry sinks
Rescuers search desperately Sunday for four people still missing after at least 35 were killed. The tourist boat ferrying families around Vietnam’s famed Ha Long Bay was lashed by a sudden storm Saturday. The vessel “Wonder Sea’ was carrying 46 passengers and three crew when it capsized because of sudden heavy rain. Most of those on board were families visiting from the capital, Hanoi, with more than 20 children among the passengers, state media outlet VNExpress said. The storm followed three days of intense heat, with the mercury hitting 37 degrees Celsius (99 degrees Fahrenheit) in some areas of the country. The government said it would “investigate and clarify the cause of the incident and strictly handle violations”
The tourist boat ferrying families around Vietnam’s famed Ha Long Bay was lashed by a sudden storm Saturday in one of the deadliest disasters at the UNESCO World Heritage site.
The vessel “Wonder Sea” was carrying 46 passengers and three crew when it capsized because of sudden heavy rain, according to a provincial police report seen by AFP.
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Previous state media reports had said that 53 people were on board and 37 people had died, but the figures were later revised by police.
Tran Trong Hung, a resident in the Ha Long Bay area, told AFP: “The sky turned dark.”
There were “hailstones as big as toes with torrential rain, thunderstorms and lightning”, he said.
Most of those on board were families visiting from the capital, Hanoi, with more than 20 children among the passengers, state media outlet VNExpress said
35 bodies had been recovered and 10 people rescued by Sunday, police said, with four people still missing.
One of the rescued, a 10-year-old boy, told state media outlet VietnamNet: “I took a deep breath, swam through a gap, dived then swam up, I even shouted for help, then I was pulled up by a boat with soldiers on”.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh sent his condolences on Saturday to relatives of those killed and called on the defence and public security ministries to conduct urgent search and rescue.
Authorities would “investigate and clarify the cause of the incident and strictly handle violations”, a government statement said.
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Torrential rain also lashed northern Hanoi, Thai Nguyen and Bac Ninh provinces on Saturday.
Several trees were knocked down in the capital by strong winds.
The storm followed three days of intense heat, with the mercury hitting 37 degrees Celsius (99 degrees Fahrenheit) in some areas.
Mai Van Khiem, director of the National Center for Hydrometeorological Forecasting, was quoted in VNExpress as saying that the thunderstorms in northern Vietnam were not caused by the influence of Tropical Storm Wipha in the South China Sea.
Wipha entered the South China Sea on Sunday gaining strength, and is on course to make landfall in Vietnam early next week.
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Ha Long Bay is one of Vietnam’s most popular tourist destinations, with millions of people visiting its blue-green waters and rainforest-topped limestone islands each year.
Last year, 30 vessels sank at boat lock areas in coastal Quang Ninh province along Ha Long Bay after Typhoon Yagi brought strong wind and waves.
And this month, a ferry sank off the popular Indonesian resort island of Bali, killing at least 18 people.
Tourist boat capsizes in Vietnam’s Ha Long Bay, killing dozens
Dozens of people are dead after a tourist boat capsized during a storm in Vietnam’s Ha Long Bay. At least ten people were rescued, and the capsized vessel was salvaged and towed ashore. The boat carrying 48 Vietnamese tourists and five crew members capsized after encountering a sudden storm Saturday afternoon. The incident occurred as Typhoon Wipha, a severe tropical storm, approaches the region, and is expected to bring heavy rain.
The boat carrying 48 Vietnamese tourists and five crew members capsized after encountering a sudden storm Saturday afternoon, the reports said. At least eight children were among the 37 confirmed dead.
Ha Long Bay is a popular tourist destination in Quang Ninh province, around 100 miles east of Hanoi, famed for its limestone caves and white sand beaches. The UNESCO World Heritage site attracted around 2.6 million tourists in 2023 according to Vietnam’s tourism agency.
🆘 At 2:02am July 20, the capsized tourist boat with 53 people on board in Hạ Long Bay was successfully salvaged, towed ashore for further investigation.
As of now, 10 people were rescued alive, and 37 were confirmed dead (with the identities of 4 victims still being verified). pic.twitter.com/sUrinbKbhv — Việt Nam News (@VietnamNewsVNS) July 20, 2025
Vietnam’s Deputy Prime Minister Trần Hồng Hà traveled to the site to oversee the rescue operation. He expressed condolences to the families of the victims and described it as “a regrettable and unforeseen accident,” Viet Nam News said.
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Authorities have promised financial support for the bereaved families, the state media agency said, adding that a review of maritime safety protocols in the area will be conducted.
The incident occurred as Typhoon Wipha, a severe tropical storm, approaches the region, and is expected to bring heavy rain and dangerous weather conditions to Vietnam’s northern provinces and coastal region.
Dozens dead in Vietnam after Ha Long Bay tourist ferry sinks
35 bodies have been recovered and 10 people rescued, with four people still missing. The vessel “Wonder Sea” was carrying 46 passengers and three crew when it capsized. Most of those on board were families visiting from the capital, Hanoi, with more than 20 children among the passengers. The storm followed three days of intense heat, with the mercury hitting 37 degrees Celsius in some areas of the country. It was not caused by the influence of Tropical Storm Wipha in the South China Sea.
The vessel “Wonder Sea” was carrying 46 passengers and three crew when it capsized because of sudden heavy rain, according to a provincial police report seen by AFP.
Most of those on board were families visiting from the capital, Hanoi, with more than 20 children among the passengers, state media outlet VNExpress said
35 bodies had been recovered and 10 people rescued by Sunday, police said, with four people still missing.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh sent his condolences on Saturday to relatives of those killed and called on the defence and public security ministries to conduct urgent search and rescue.
Authorities would “investigate and clarify the cause of the incident and strictly handle violations”, a government statement said.
Torrential rain also lashed northern Hanoi, Thai Nguyen and Bac Ninh provinces on Saturday.
Several trees were knocked down in the capital by strong winds.
The storm followed three days of intense heat, with the mercury hitting 37 degrees Celsius in some areas.
Mai Van Khiem, director of the National Center for Hydrometeorological Forecasting, was quoted in VNExpress as saying that the thunderstorms in northern Vietnam were not caused by the influence of Tropical Storm Wipha in the South China Sea.
Wipha entered the South China Sea on Sunday gaining strength, and is on course to make landfall in Vietnam early next week.
Ha Long Bay is one of Vietnam’s most popular tourist destinations, with millions of people visiting its blue-green waters and rainforest-topped limestone islands each year.
Last year, 30 vessels sank at boat lock areas in coastal Quang Ninh province along Ha Long Bay after Typhoon Yagi brought strong wind and waves.
And this month, a ferry sank off the popular Indonesian resort island of Bali, killing at least 18 people.
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Dozens dead in Vietnam after Ha Long Bay tourist ferry sinks
Boat carrying 48 passengers and five crew members capsized because of heavy rain. Border guards rescued 11 people and recovered 34 bodies by Saturday evening. Rescue efforts continued into Sunday morning to find the five people still missing. Most of those on board were families visiting from the capital Hanoi, with more than 20 children among the passengers.
The tourist boat ferrying families around Vietnam’s famed Ha Long Bay was lashed by a storm on Saturday in one of the UNESCO World Heritage site’s deadliest disasters.
The “Wonder Sea” vessel was carrying 48 passengers and five crew members when it capsized because of sudden heavy rain, the VNExpress news site said.
Most of those on board were families visiting from the capital Hanoi, with more than 20 children among the passengers, it said.
Border guards had rescued 11 people and recovered 34 bodies by Saturday evening, it added.
Overnight, three crew members’ bodies were found in the cabin and rescue efforts continued into Sunday morning to find the five people still missing.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh sent his condolences on Saturday to the families of the deceased and called on the defence and public security ministries to conduct urgent search and rescue.
Authorities would “investigate and clarify the cause of the incident and strictly handle violations”, a government statement said.
Ha Long Bay is one of Vietnam’s most popular tourist destinations, with millions of people visiting its blue-green waters and rainforest-topped limestone islands each year.
Last year, 30 vessels sank at boat lock areas in coastal Quang Ninh province along Ha Long Bay after Typhoon Yagi brought strong wind and waves.
And this month, a ferry sank off the popular Indonesian resort island of Bali, killing at least 18 people.
Tearful relatives await news from Vietnam wreck rescue
At least 35 killed in the wreckage on Saturday in what some called Ha Long Bay’s worst disaster. The tourist vessel called “Wonder Sea” had been carrying 49 people, including several children, around the UNESCO World Heritage Site. A handful of people were still missing as rescuers worked into Sunday morning to salvage the sunken boat. The wreckage had been towed into the wharf by Sunday and 10 people were being treated at a nearby hospital. The wind blew the wind off the framework of a big stage for a grand music show nearby, causing the accident.Ha Long Bay is one of Vietnam’s most popular tourist destinations, with millions of people visiting its blue-green waters every year. The bodies of the mother and children had been recovered, but he was awaiting news of the father, a friend of one of the victims said. “We know there is no hope. We just wish and pray for her to come back here to us,” a relative said of a young family of four who died in the capsizing.
AFP
Halong Bay, Vietnam: Relatives anxiously sat beside ambulances on the wharf of one of Vietnam’s most popular tourist sites on Sunday, waiting for news of loved ones who were on a tourist boat that capsized killing dozens.
Fruits and flowers were laid on the coast for the at least 35 killed in the wreckage on Saturday in what some called Ha Long Bay’s worst disaster.
As rescuers worked into Sunday morning to salvage the sunken boat, a handful of people were still missing.
This handout photograph taken on July 19, 2025 and released by the Vietnam News Agency (VNA) shows relief personnel gathered around a capsized tourist boat (L) during a search and rescue operation in the Ha Long Bay, Quang Ninh province. Photo by Vietnam News Agency / AFP
The tourist vessel called “Wonder Sea” had been carrying 49 people, including several children, around the UNESCO World Heritage Site, according to provincial police.
Hoang Quang rushed from Hanoi to Quang Ninh province at 2:00 am on Sunday for news of his cousin and her family who were on the boat when it capsized.
The couple — a housewife and fruit seller married to a bus driver — had “tried their best” to afford the trip around the world-famous bay.
Rescuers walk on the wharf after searching for victims of a capsized tourist boat in Ha Long Bay, Quang Ninh Province on July 20, 2025. Photo by Nhac NGUYEN / AFP
“They found the body of (the husband), not my cousin yet,” Hoang told AFP.
He was “so shocked” when he heard news of the incident and immediately went to the wharf with other worried family members.
“Suddenly the victims were my relatives — anyone would be scared. We didn’t know what to do, except to keep waiting,” he said.
“We think that as we are all here, she knew and she would show up. We are all so anxious… We just wish and pray for her to come back here to us.”
‘No hope’
At Ha Long city’s main funeral home, AFP journalists saw bodies wrapped in red cloth being carried in on stretchers, as friends and relatives cried in front of more than a dozen coffins.
A 68-year-old man, who asked not to be named, rushed to the scene at 3:00 am, only to discover that his relatives — a young family of four, including two boys — had died in the capsizing.
“We were all so shocked,” the uncle of the family told AFP tearfully. “This was a very sudden accident. They were just taking the kids out to the bay for summer holidays and it ended up terrible.”
The tourist boat (C) that capsized is towed back to the port in Ha Long bay, Quang Ninh province on July 20, 2025. Photo by Nhac NGUYEN / AFP
The bodies of the mother and children had been recovered, but he was awaiting news of the father.
“We know there is no hope,” he said.
The friend of another victim, a firefighter who had taken the trip with colleagues, said they had known each other since university.
“He was still single. We brought his body back to (his hometown) for burial early this morning,” the friend said.
He praised the rescue efforts and said provincial authorities had given families 25 million dong ($955) for each victim.
‘Worst accident ever’
The wreckage had been towed into the wharf by Sunday and 10 people were being treated at a nearby hospital.
Security guard Nguyen Tuan Anh spent the night on the wharf where ambulances were waiting to carry the bodies away — a scene he described as “painful”.
“I don’t think I have experienced this scene before. This maybe the worst accident ever in Ha Long Bay,” he told AFP, adding it had been “unpredictable and also I think unpreparable.”
The tourist boat (front L) that capsized is towed back to the port in Ha Long bay, Quang Ninh province on July 20, 2025. Photo by Nhac NGUYEN / AFP
“The whirlwind came so sudden and so big. The wind blew off the framework of a big stage for a grand music show nearby,” he said.
Ha Long Bay is one of Vietnam’s most popular tourist destinations, with millions of people visiting its blue-green waters and rainforest-topped limestone islands each year.
Several hundred rescuers including professional divers, soldiers, and firefighters joined the search for survivors through the night and heavy rain, state media said.
“The whirlwind came just so sudden,” a rescue worker, who asked not to be named, told AFP on Saturday.
“As the boat turned upside down, several people were stuck inside the cabin. Me and other rescuers pulled up two bodies and rescued one,” he said.
“The accident was so devastating.”