HALONG BAY: The death toll from a tourist boat accident in Vietnam’s Halong Bay has risen to at least 38, with several people still missing, according to government officials.

Rescue efforts continue as authorities brace for the impact of Typhoon Wipha.

The boat, carrying 48 tourists and five crew members, capsized on Saturday afternoon in one of the worst maritime accidents in recent years in the popular tourist destination.

“At least 38 of those on board have been confirmed dead and 10 rescued,“ the government said in a statement.

All the tourists were Vietnamese, including several children, as reported by the official Vietnam News Agency.

Rescue teams, comprising border guards, navy personnel, police, and professional divers, have been deployed despite challenging weather conditions.

Although the sea has calmed, poor visibility has hindered search operations.

The sunken vessel has been retrieved, authorities confirmed. The accident occurred around 2 p.m. local time on Saturday, shortly after Typhoon Wipha entered the South China Sea.

Strong winds, heavy rain, and lightning were reported at the time, though officials clarified these conditions were unrelated to the typhoon but resulted from regional wind patterns.

Halong Bay, located about 200 km northeast of Hanoi, is a major tourist attraction, drawing tens of thousands annually for its scenic boat tours.

In 2011, a similar incident claimed 12 lives, including foreign tourists.

Typhoon Wipha, the third storm to enter the South China Sea this year, is expected to make landfall along Vietnam’s northern coast early next week. – Reuters

A man who survived the capsizing of a tour boat in Ha Long Bay has told how he escaped by swimming out through a window underwater.

Dang Anh Tuan, 36, was on holiday with 11 university friends, when the Wonder Sea overturned on a sightseeing tour during a sudden thunderstorm.

Only three of his group survived, while the nine others, including a man who was travelling with his wife and three-year-old son, were among at least 38 people killed.

Five other people remain missing from the boat, which was carrying 48 passengers and five crew members, all of whom were Vietnamese, according to state media.

Mr Tuan said a storm quickly covered the sky, bringing high winds and pouring rain, as the boat embarked on a three-hour trip.

He said the passengers asked for the boat to turn back to shore, but the crew reassured them they were almost at their destination and kept moving forward.

“The boat capsized in less than a minute. It rained for about 15 minutes, and then the boat started to shake vigorously, tables and chairs were jostled around and seconds later the boat overturned,” he said.

“Water gushed in and I lost all orientation. I tried to breathe. But more water came in.

“I took a deep breath, got rid of my life vest and dove down. I saw a streak of light and followed it to swim out, escaping the boat, and then I climbed on the overturned boat to look for help.”

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Mr Tuan survived by clinging on to the capsized boat and its propellers, waiting for another two hours until the rain stopped and rescue workers arrived.

They saved 11 people, including a 14-year-old boy trapped for four hours in the overturned hull, but one survivor died in hospital, according to the VNExpress newspaper.

The newspaper said most of the passengers were tourists from Hanoi, including about 20 children, and the boat turned upside down because of strong winds.

Mr Tuan escaped with minor cuts, but one of his friends suffered multiple injuries to his head while another cut his tendons as he tried to escape the boat through a broken window.

Speaking from her hospital bed, survivor Dang Thuy Linh said her family and friends were still missing.

“There are still my husband, my child(ren), my friend and their family. I hope they will all be rescued soon,” she said.

“Don’t leave anyone in the boat. The air is running thin and hope for surviving is running out.”

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A tropical storm is also moving towards the area, with a national weather forecast predicting Storm Wipha will hit Vietnam‘s northern region next week, including Ha Long Bay’s coast.

Ha Long Bay is around 125mi (200km) north east of Hanoi and attracts tens of thousands of visitors each year.

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Dozens reportedly killed after Vietnam tourist boat capsizes

STORY: :: Emergency crews search for survivors after a tourist boat capsized in Vietnam’s Halong Bay:: July 19, 2025The boat, carrying 53 people, tipped over at around 2 p.m. local time, as Storm Wipha approached the country across the South China Sea. Strong winds, heavy rainfall, and lightning were reported in the area.Most of the tourists were from the capital, Hanoi, local newspaper VnExpress reported. There was no official announcement on the nationality of the tourists as emergency crews kept looking for survivors.