1 foreigner injured as tourist transfer speedboat sinks in Vietnam’s Ha Long Bay

The Management Board of Ha Long Bay – Yen Tu World Heritage Site said on Monday that the accident occurred at around 12:40 pm the same day.

At that time, the tourist transfer speedboat of Ha Long Bay Service JSC, operated by Ha Van Hiep, born in 1991, was transporting a group of 14 people, including two Vietnamese, seven South Koreans, two Indians, one Dutch, one German, and one Vietnamese tour guide, from the Leona Cruise QN-9383, which was anchored in the waters near Cat Lan Islet in Ha Long Bay, to Luon Cave.

After visiting Luon Cave, the group was on their way back to the cruise ship when the boat suddenly lost control and slammed into a mooring buoy near the cave’s entrance. 

All 15 people on board, including 11 foreign passengers, were thrown into the water, and the speedboat later sank.

Immediately after the incident, on-site forces from the Management Board of Ha Long Bay – Yen Tu World Heritage Site and Ha Long Bay Service JSC quickly carried out rescue operations, bringing all 15 people safely ashore and transporting them to Vinmec Ha Long Hospital and Quang Ninh General Hospital for health checks.

Three people were injured, including Buet Ron, born in 1967, a German national; Nguyen Van Huong, a Vietnamese tourist; and the boat operator.

According to the Management Board of Ha Long Bay – Yen Tu World Heritage Site, the speedboat has been salvaged and anchored at a safe location.