At least 37 killed as tourist boat capsizes in Vietnam’s Halong Bay

HANOI – At least 37 people have died after a tourist boat ferrying families around Vietnam’s famed Halong Bay capsized on July 19, according to state media.

The vessel was carrying 48 passengers and five crew members when it capsized at the Unesco World Heritage site 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 rescued 11 people and recovered 34 bodies,” it added.

The Navy said early on July 20 that three more bodies were found, taking the toll to 37 people. The captain of the ship had still not been identified, while five more remain missing.

The People’s Army Newspaper, citing local border guards, said among the bodies recovered were those of eight children.

The accident occurred at around 2pm (3pm Singapore time), shortly after Tropical Storm Wipha entered the South China Sea. Strong winds, heavy rainfall and lightning were recorded in the area.

Rescue efforts were set to continue into the night to find those 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.”

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh sent his condolences to the families of those who died and called on the defence and public security ministries to conduct urgent search and rescue.

The authorities would “investigate and clarify the cause of the incident and strictly handle violations”, a statement on the government website said.

Mr Tran Trong Hung, a resident in the Ha Long Bay area, told Agence France-Presse: “The sky turned dark at around 2pm.”

There were “hailstones as big as toes with torrential rain, thunderstorm and lightning”, he said.

Torrential rain also lashed northern Hanoi, Thai Nguyen and Bac Ninh provinces on July 19.

In Hanoi, several trees were knocked down by strong winds.

Tropical Storm Wipha followed three days of intense heat, with the mercury hitting 37 deg C in some areas.

Mr Mai Van Khiem, director of the National Centre for Hydrometeorological Forecasting, was quoted by VNExpress as saying that the thunderstorms in northern Vietnam were not caused by the influence of Wipha in the South China Sea.

Halong 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.

In 2024, 30 vessels sank at boat lock areas in coastal Quang Ninh province along Halong Bay after Typhoon Yagi brought strong wind and waves.

Earlier in July, a ferry sank off the popular Indonesian resort island of Bali,

killing at least 18 people

.

Wipha, the third typhoon to hit the South China Sea in 2025, 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. AFP, REUTERS