Deputy premier calls for solutions to loopholes after boat capsizing in Vietnam's Ha Long Bay

The Government Office issued an official dispatch conveying Permanent Deputy Prime Minister Binh’s directive after reviewing reports and public concerns related to the management and oversight of the incident.

This included information compiled from a VnExpress article titled 'Loopholes from the Vinh Xanh 58 boat capsizing' on July 22.

According to the article, the Vinh Xanh boat was designed taller than regulatory standards but lacked an automatic emergency signaling device.

Supervisory authorities failed to promptly detect the boat’s GPS signal loss.

At 2:05 pm on July 19, the boat’s GPS connection was lost. The capsizing site was over one kilometer from Tuan Chau Harbor and three kilometers from the mainland.

At a meeting on the afternoon of July 20, Colonel Hoang Van Thuyet, Political Commissar of the Quang Ninh Military Command, stated that rescue units received the first accident report at 3:30 pm, two hours after the incident, and deployed rescue vessels to the scene within 10 minutes.

The article also quoted Dr. Pham Ha, CEO of Lux Group, which operates cruise boats in Ha Long Bay and Lan Ha Bay, as explaining that when GPS signals are lost, a captain can alert authorities either via radio or by pressing the Automatic Identification System button near the helm.

However, if an unexpected incident occurs and the captain or crew cannot react in time, there is currently no automatic alert mechanism in place. 

This gap represents a significant design flaw in tourist boats.

Additionally, many boats in the bay lack unified guidance and standards for responding to sudden thunderstorms.

When a vessel has already left port and weather conditions rapidly deteriorate, the current six-hourly weather updates are insufficient.

There is a need for a real-time marine weather forecasting system, such as the U.S.-based Windy platform, combined with coastal radar technology, wave-measuring buoys, satellite data, and artificial intelligence to simulate and issue alerts for specific areas.

Information should be internationally standardized, easy to understand, and transmitted through multiple channels such as mobile applications, VHF radio, and onboard screens.

The Government Office has forwarded the article to the Ministry of Construction so that it can propose management solutions.

At 3:30 pm on July 19, the Vinh Xanh 58 tourist boat, operating on route 2 (Sung Sot Cave – Titop Island) in Ha Long Bay, was caught in a sudden thunderstorm and capsized, resulting in 39 deaths.

Following the accident, Quang Ninh Province mobilized maximum rescue forces despite adverse weather conditions.

By the afternoon of July 26, the last victim, H.V.T., born in 1985, was found near Hang Trong Cave, about 10km from the accident site.

Quang Ninh authorities swiftly directed response efforts and supported the victims’ families.