Friday, February 20, 2026, 13:38 GMT+7

Tourist boat anchored off Vietnam's Phu Quoc suddenly catches fire, spreads to fish raft

A tourist boat anchored off Phu Quoc Special Zone in An Giang Province, southern Vietnam suddenly caught fire in the early hours of Wednesday, with flames later spreading to a nearby fish raft, causing an estimated VND1.9 billion (US$73,161) in damage.

The blaze broke out at around 1:45 am on Wednesday from a tourist boat in the An Thoi area, identified as P.V.79 with registration number KG-577XX and owned by P.L.V., 40, the People’s Committee of Phu Quoc Special Zone said later the same day.

According to initial information, the boat was anchored about 500 meters offshore at Dat Do beach, with no one on board when it suddenly caught fire.

During the blaze, the vessel drifted and ran into a fish raft owned by T.T., 56, causing the raft to catch fire. No one was on the raft at the time.

Local authorities estimated total property losses at about VND1.9 billion (US$73,161), including around VND1.6 billion ($61,609) in damage to the tourist boat.

Authorities are investigating the cause.

Earlier, a short video clip circulating online captured the moment the boat was engulfed in flames, lighting up a stretch of sea in the An Thoi area.