July 19th, 2025 - At Least 34 Killed in Vietnam Tourist Boat Capsize, State Media Reports

A sightseeing boat carrying 48 passengers and five crew members capsized in Vietnam’s Ha Long Bay on Saturday, resulting in at least 34 deaths, according to state media. The incident occurred when a sudden thunderstorm, accompanied by strong winds and high swells, overturned the boat during its tour. At least 10 people were rescued, including a boy who had been in the water for several hours, state media reported.

The rescue operation, which involved naval commandos from the Quang Ninh Province, recovered 34 bodies, including at least eight children. Emergency teams worked into the night to save survivors, and images of the incident showed the boat completely overturned, with only its hull above the water. The passengers and crew were all Vietnamese citizens.

Bui Cong Hoan, deputy chairman of the Ha Long Tourist Boat Association, described the incident as the worst accident in Ha Long Bay in the past 25 years. Among the victims, one family lost all members except for the mother, who survived the tragic event.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh responded by ordering civil defense teams and the Ministry of Defense and Public Security to support the search and recovery efforts. The boat, which had been touring Dau Go and other limestone caves in Ha Long Bay, was returning when the storm struck. Ha Long Bay, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is home to more than 1,600 islands and is a popular tourist destination with hundreds of boats operating daily.

This disaster follows a similar event in 2022, when 17 tourists died after a speedboat capsized off Quang Nam in southern Vietnam. The captain of that boat was sentenced to seven years in prison for the incident.

In 2009, another tragedy struck when an overloaded ferry sank in central Vietnam, killing 40 people in what was described as one of the country's worst maritime disasters. These incidents highlight ongoing safety concerns in Vietnam’s tourism industry, particularly concerning boating accidents in areas with unpredictable weather.

Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Devise(verb, dih-VYZE) - To devise is to invent or plan something that is difficult or complicated in some way.

Example: The siblings devised a plan to clean the house from top to bottom with hopes of getting their parents to let them go to the concert.