Tourist boat capsizes in Vietnam's Ha Long Bay, leaving 34 dead
Relief personnel gathered around a capsized tourist boat during a search and rescue operation in Ha Long Bay, Vietnam, Jul 19, 2025. (Photo: AFP/Vietnam News Agency)
HANOI: A tourist boat ferrying families around Vietnam's Ha Long Bay capsized in a storm on Saturday (Jul 19) afternoon, leaving at least 34 people dead, according to state media reports, as rescuers scrambled to locate the missing.
The vessel was carrying 48 passengers and five crew members when it capsized because of sudden heavy rain as it toured the UNESCO World Heritage site, the VNExpress news site said.
"Border guards rescued 11 people and recovered 34 bodies," it added.
The accident occurred at approximately 2pm local time (3pm, Singapore time), shortly after Storm Wipha entered the South China Sea. Strong winds, heavy rainfall and lightning were recorded in the area.
Authorities have yet to disclose details about the tourists or their nationalities, and rescue efforts were set to continue into the night to find the eight still missing.
Most of those on board were families visiting from the capital Hanoi, with more than 20 children among the passengers, VNExpress said.
Ha Long Bay office worker Tran Trong Hung told AFP the storm started in the afternoon.
"The sky turned dark at around 2pm," he said, adding that there were "hailstones as big as toes with torrential rain, thunderstorm and lightning".
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."
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh sent his condolences 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 statement on the government website said.
CNA has contacted Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs to find out if any Singaporeans were on board the tourist boat.
Torrential rain also lashed northern Hanoi, Thai Nguyen and Bac Ninh provinces on Saturday.
In the capital about 175km away, several trees were knocked down 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.
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 being pounded by strong wind and waves brought by deadly Typhoon Yagi.
Storm Wipha, the third typhoon to hit the South China Sea this year, is projected to make landfall along Vietnam's northern coast early next week.
Weather disruptions linked to the storm have also impacted air travel. Noi Bai Airport reported that nine arriving flights were diverted to alternate airports, while three departing flights were temporarily grounded due to adverse conditions.
