At Least 34 Dead After Vietnam Tourist Boat Capsizes, State Media Says
The boat, carrying 48 passengers and five crew members, was on a sightseeing tour when a sudden thunderstorm with strong winds created high swells that overturned it, Vietnamese news outlets reported.
Rescue teams that included naval commandos from the Quang Ninh Province, in northeastern Vietnam, recovered 34 bodies, with at least eight children among the dead, according to Dantri, a state-owned media outlet.
The emergency crews, working past nightfall, had pulled at least 10 survivors out of the water, state media reported. Among those rescued was a boy who had been in the water for several hours.
'It's the worst accident I've known in Ha Long Bay in the last 25 years,' Bui Cong Hoan, deputy chairman of Ha Long Tourist Boat Association, said by telephone.
All of the passengers and crew members were Vietnamese citizens, state-run media said. Images of the incident showed the boat completely overturned, its hull sticking out above the water.
Vietnamese media reported that of one family, with two parents and two children, only the mother had survived.
Pham Minh Chinh, the prime minister of Vietnam, ordered civil defense workers and the Defense and Public Security Ministries to support the search efforts, Vietnam's official government news site said.
The boat was returning from a tour of Dau Go and other limestone caves in Ha Long Bay, a UNESCO World Heritage Site with more than 1,600 islands, when the storm broke out, Mr. Hoan said. The boat, part of a tour association, was among hundreds of vessels that ferry tourists around the bay each day.
In 2022, 17 tourists died when a speedboat boat capsized in the waters off Quang Nam in southern Vietnam. The boat's captain, was sentenced to seven years in prison, according to Vietnamese news outlets.
In 2009, 40 people were killed when an overloaded ferry sank in a river in central Vietnam, in what the police described as one of the country's worst such disasters.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Travel Weekly
2 hours ago
- Travel Weekly
Kristen Reynolds of Choose Chicago on seeing a city from a visitor's perspective
Kristen Reynolds became CEO of Choose Chicago, the city's tourism marketing organization, six weeks before the city hosted U.S. Travel's annual IPW conference in June. Formerly CEO of Discover Long Island, Reynolds also worked with the Arizona Office of Tourism and Starwood Hotels & Resorts. News editor Johanna Jainchill spoke with Reynolds at IPW about the Route 66 centennial, the Canada market and being nimble. Kristen Reynolds Q: What's something that's stuck out for you since you took over at Choose Chicago? A: A lot of people say, "How do you represent a city that you are not from or you don't know," and it was the same thing when I went to New York from Arizona. But I see it from a visitor's perspective, and sometimes it's the best way to kind of pull out all the wonderful things that a city has to offer and that locals might sometimes take for granted or not realize is really special because you see it every day. So moving to Chicago, being a visitor in my own city, is so incredible. I get to see it every day and am just awe-inspired by the beauty, the experiences and most of all, the friendliness. Q: How will Chicago celebrate Route 66's 100th anniversary in 2026? A: We are the beginning of Route 66, and the team has already spent the last year preparing for that, putting mile markers in specific locations, making sure that people understand the exact spot where Route 66 starts -- which is essentially the Art Institute [of Chicago]. The Art Institute has a whole Route 66 tour you can do. We want to work together with the other Route 66 destinations; it's not about each individual place. We've got things cooking for all the destinations, where visitors can come and get one seamless experience. Related: Tour operators and destinations begin preparations now for America's 250th birthday Q: You started this job at a time when inbound travel numbers were down. What are you seeing now? A: Last year, we reached a record-breaking 2 million international visitors. We want to grow that, but that's 2 million out of 55 million visitors. We rely more heavily on domestic visitors. What we're seeing is flat to slightly up from a lot of inbound markets, particularly Latin America, with a dip, certainly, from Canada. To mitigate that, we've got some fun promotions we're talking about. Hosting IPW really helps to expose Chicago. It's a great opportunity for us to remind people about things like Route 66 and that the Obama Center opens next year (the Center includes a museum and presidential library). We're doing our best to stay in the marketplace and continue to welcome those visitors, but we're also looking at people domestically who aren't traveling as much internationally as they have in the past and trying to capture that market, as well. Q: I've been hearing that from other destinations: They're shifting marketing from Canada. A: I've been in this industry for 27 years now. I've been through 9/11, I've been through recessions. And of course, the pandemic. This is not the first time our industry has gone through challenges. Being nimble and being able to change your strategy and look at emerging markets and make sure you're seizing every opportunity is how destinations stay successful. Q: What's behind your new campaign, "Never Done. Never Outdone"? A: We asked community members,'What do you think of this city? What represents you?' The message that came out is, "We're never done. We're always changing and evolving, and we can say we're the best." So we're going back out into those communities and saying, "What are you the best at? How can we promote you?" And that really helps, because visitors want a campaign and a destination that is authentic and really represents the local community. It's important for us to make sure we're representing every aspect of our city.
Skift
3 hours ago
- Skift
Sri Lanka Bets on Visa Fee Waiver for 40 Nations to Hit 3 Million Tourists
First things first: Sri Lanka isn't going visa‑free, it's just scrapping the fee. Free visas could help close the gap for Sri Lanka, but the country needs a consistent campaign and a story that goes beyond price. Sri Lanka is finally moving closer to extend free visas for visitors from 40 countries, including the seven that already enjoy visa fee waiver and 33 newly-added markets. Tourism Minister Vijitha Herath said Friday that tourists from countries including the U.S., UK, Canada, Germany, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia will soon be able to enter the island without paying visa fees. The move, he said, aims to attract more tourists, cut red tape, and send a message that Sri Lanka is open for business. Herath acknowledged the waiver could cost the government about $66 million in visa fees but said the broader economic gains from higher tourist arrivals would more than make up for it. But before the plan can go live, it needs clearance from the Attorney General's office. Industry stakeholders told Skift they expect that approval to be quick and straightforward. Skift has also reached out to Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority for comment. The Visa Fee Waiver The visa fee waiver expands on a smaller program rolled out in March 2023 that offered free 30-day visas on arrival for seven countries, including India, China, and Russia, provided travelers applied for electronic travel authorization in advance. Until now, most tourists outside South Asia have paid $50-$60 for a short stay visa. It's not yet clear whether travelers from the 33 newly-included countries will need an electronic travel authorization. Sri Lanka ha set an ambitious goal of attracting 3 million visitors and earning $5 billion in tourism revenue in 2025. That's a sharp rise from 2.05 million tourists and roughly $3 billion in 2024. 'The initiative is a strong step forward in making Sri Lanka more accessible and competitive as a destination,' said Amrit Rajarathnam, Managing Director of hospitality company Island Life, Sri Lanka. 'While it may not fully close the gap to the 3 million visitor target for 2025, it's expected to generate a meaningful boost in arrivals. Globally, the current trend in tourism-driven countries is to adapt the visa-free format.' What More Is Needed to Boost Arrivals? While industry leaders support the visa fee waiver, they warn it cannot stand alone. 'For most visitors, what truly matters is an efficient online visa process, which Sri Lanka already offers,' said Malik J. Fernando, chairman of the Sri Lanka Tourism Alliance. 'The visa initiative should not serve as a smokescreen for the ongoing absence of a coherent international marketing campaign. Despite repeated proclamations, no meaningful effort has materialized, even though funds have long been available.' Fernando said cutting visa costs is not enough to solve deeper problems in the sector. The failure to properly position Sri Lanka is doing 'real harm' he said. 'It contributes to depressed room rates across all categories of accommodation and deters foreign direct investment, which remains significantly below that of regional competitors due to weak margins. Ask any hotelier.' He also dismissed comparisons to high-volume tourist destinations. 'If a traveler chooses Sri Lanka primarily because of a waived visa fee, that reflects a deeper failure: we haven't communicated why the destination is truly special. The decision to visit should be inspired by the country's extraordinary offerings, not driven by a minor cost saving.' A Full Visitor Experience In March, the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB) launched a new promotional campaign: Sri Lanka, A Story for Every Season. The campaign aimed to address seasonality and position the country as a year-round destination. The government hosted 12 travel influencers from India, the U.K., Hong Kong, Australia, and Portugal in Colombo. SLTPB Chairman Buddhika Hewawasam acknowledged the uphill task ahead, emphasizing the need for international collaboration and long-term strategy. He also pointed to the potential of digital influencers to shape global perception of Sri Lanka. The campaign aims to generate $110,000 worth of media exposure and engage a wide variety of travel segments. But for industry insiders, that's not enough. While the visa fee waiver removes an important barrier, lasting growth will depend on how well Sri Lanka invests in the full visitor experience, Island Life's Rajarathnam said. 'We need to improve both how we promote Sri Lanka and how travellers experience it. That means focused marketing in key markets, better transport between regions, consistent, high-quality service across the country and support for experience-driven hospitality. It's about making sure people don't just visit – but want to come back.' Tourism Numbers So Far… So far, the tourism arrival in the country has been uneven. As of July 23, Sri Lanka recorded 1.3 million tourist arrivals for the year, a 4% increase compared to the same period in 2024. But July's numbers, which were expected to be strong due to the Kandy Esala Perahera festival, fell short as only 145,188 arrivals were logged in the first 23 days of the month. This was far below the expected 277,195. 'The decline in arrivals during June and July is unsurprising,' said Fernando. 'These months have traditionally been seen as off-season. Without a consistent marketing campaign that establishes Sri Lanka as a year-round destination, such dips in visitation are inevitable.' To reach the annual target, Sri Lanka now needs to attract nearly 1.7 million additional tourists before the end of the year. That would require more than 281,000 monthly arrivals—well above the current average. Since January's peak of 252,761 visitors, monthly arrivals have steadily declined, with June posting just 138,241. India continues to lead as the top source market with 269,780 visitors so far this year, followed by U.K. and Russia. As Fernando put it, 'Sri Lanka remains an extraordinary destination… but it continues to undersell itself due to weak, fragmented communication. This must change if we are to realise the country's full potential.'
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Yahoo
First direct commercial flight launched between Russia and North Korea
Russia has inaugurated a new regular air service between Moscow and Pyongyang, a development underscoring the deepening relationship between the two nations. The inaugural flight, operated by Russian carrier Nordwind, departed Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport on Sunday with more than 400 passengers aboard. Russia's Transport Ministry confirmed plans for one monthly flight to accommodate demand. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who visited North Korea's new Wonsan-Kalma beach resort earlier this month to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, promised to encourage Russian tourists to visit the complex. The resort, which can accommodate nearly 20,000 people, is at the center of Kim's push to boost tourism to improve his country's troubled economy. North Korea has been slowly easing the curbs imposed during the pandemic and reopening its borders in phases. But the country hasn't said if it would fully resume international tourism. Regular flights between Russia's eastern port city of Vladivostok and Pyongyang reopened in 2023 following a break caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Russia and North Korea have sharply expanded military and other ties in recent years, with Pyongyang supplying weapons and troops to back Russia's military action in Ukraine.
