What strength saved 3 men adrift at sea for 2 days in Vietnam?

Now recovering at the Ly Son military medical center, Sanh still struggles to believe that he made it home alive.

His wife, Ha, shared that she gave up hope after her husband went missing.

However, a miracle occurred when a photo emerged of Sanh swimming alone in the rough sea without a life vest before being rescued. 

The image has since become a symbol of grit and courage.

Recalling those hours between life and death, Sanh described the terrifying moment that changed everything.

At around 3:00 pm on Thursday last week, a few hours before the storm was forecast to make landfall in the central region, 44-year-old Duong Quang Cuong suddenly jumped into the sea near the Tay An Vinh pier.

Without hesitation, Sanh and Phan Duy Quang, 47, paddled a coracle to rescue him.

Despite violent winds and towering waves, the two men managed to pull Cuong onto the small round boat.

However, the sea, stirred by Kalmaegi, the 13th storm to hit the East Vietnam Sea this year, was merciless.

A massive wave hit their boat and swept all three men far from shore.

That night, as the storm made landfall, the men clung desperately to one another, hoping to survive until dawn.

“At around 8:00 pm, our boat capsized," Sanh recollected.

"Everyone was exhausted. 

"I tried to keep us together and told them to ‘hold on, as our families are waiting for us.'"

Through the night, monstrous waves battered their bodies. Cold, hunger, and fatigue threatened to overcome them.

Quang nearly gave up several times, but Sanh urged him to keep fighting.

“Think of your wife and children,” he shouted through the storm.

At around 3:00 am on Friday, all three were drained of strength.

The currents scattered them apart, though Sanh could still see the others and screamed encouragement across the sea.

It was not until Saturday afternoon that a search vessel, An Vinh Express, spotted and rescued Sanh in the waters off Gia Lai Province, nearly 100 kilometers from where he had gone missing.

Remarkably, he was still swimming, without a life jacket.

Recounting the ordeal, Sanh said that thinking of his wife and children and at times catching sight of distant mountains gave him the strength to keep going.

Each time he saw a ship passing by, he tried to swim toward it and signal for help.

During one attempt, he took off his life jacket and waved it back and forth, but afterward, he was unable to put it back on.

Sanh eventually abandoned his life jacket, and whenever he spotted a ship, he summoned all his remaining strength to swim toward it and call for help.

Again and again, the man made desperate efforts, but no vessel saw him.

Finally, Sanh spotted a ship and struggled to swim closer. 

He was unaware that it was the An Vinh Express, the very vessel searching for him.

“While I was swimming in the sea, I was lucky to find half an apple to ease my hunger and a bottle of water with foreign lettering to keep myself alive,” Sanh said.

“I kept swimming, and when I grew tired, I floated with the current to save my strength.

“Whenever I saw a ship, I tried with all my might to reach it. 

"Throughout the struggle with the sea, I never stopped thinking about my wife and children."

Meanwhile, Quang was rescued earlier that morning by ship Hai Nam 39.

Despite being weak, he immediately told rescuers to keep searching for Sanh and Cuong.

“At one point, I wanted to give up,” Quang said softly.

“But I heard Sanh’s voice, and I thought of my family. 

"His words, ‘Our wives and children are waiting for us,' kept me alive."

Cuong, the man they had tried to save, was eventually found alive but in critical condition.

He has since been transferred to Quang Ngai Hospital for further treatment.

Burst of joy

For the people of Ly Son, whose lives have depended on the sea, the survival of all three men is nothing short of a miracle.

Even the most seasoned fishermen called it ‘unbelievable.’

Knowing that the men were safe, all the residents gathered at Ben Dinh Port to welcome them back home.

Fireworks lit up the sky, while the crowd cheered – it felt, locals said, like a New Year’s Eve.

Nguyen Chi Thanh, a fisherman who once drifted for 18 hours at sea, said, “Only the mercy of the sea could save them.

“For Sanh to swim that long without a life vest is a miracle."

Nguyen Van Huy, chairman of the special zone, said the community was overwhelmed with joy.

“When people heard the news, they cried and laughed at the same time. Everyone thought it was over, then came this miracle,” he said.

Now, Sanh and Quang regain their strength, while Cuong remains under medical care.

His eyes are full of remorse for the reckless act that nearly cost three lives.

Yet everyone hopes he will recover, instead of blaming him.