HaLong – Choppy waters

The recent boat tragedy in Halong left the tourism industry reeling but the authorities’ response has been swift as Vietnam hopes to ensure tourists its safe to travel on the bay.

When a tourist boat I sank resulting in 12 deaths in Halong Bay on February 16, the story had gone global in a matter of hours. The boat started to sink before dawn near Titov island in Halong Bay, while most of the passengers were sleeping. Fifteen people escaped the boat before being pulled out of the sea by crew from nearby junks, which were also anchored down overnight by the island.
The victims were later identified as holidaymakers from the US, Britain, Australia, Japan, Russia, France, Sweden and Switzerland, along with a Vietnamese tour guide. Halong Bay is one of Vietnam’s most popular coastal destinations and arguably the country’s most stunning location. The reaction to the incident was immediate. The whole bay was shut down for two days as an investigation got underway. At the time of writing over 100 junks have been inspected and declared seaworthy.
So what happened to the junk that sank? At first it was reported a panel of the ship ripped away and water quickly inundated the hull, pulling the ship down. This had alarm bells ringing over the quality of junks and cruise ships operating in the bay. But according to Quang Ninh police department, human error was to blame. The vessel’s captain and a crew member were duly arrested. Apparently, a valve that allows water to come into the boat to cool the engine was left open while the vessel was anchored for the night, said police spokesman Le Thanh Binh. There were no holes or cracks in the hull. As captain Nguyen Van Minh, 22, and his crew mate Do Van Thang, 27, were in charge of the engine, they were arrested.

At present all overnight cruises operating are under strict supervision before disembarking, and all vessels belonging to Truong Hai Company are banned.The Halong Management Board and Quang Ninh provincial People’s Committee launched the special inspection team which checked more than 500 tour boats operating in the bay last week. The 164 overnight cruise vessels were made a priority.
“We are also checking the knowledge and qualifications of captain and crew members working on all cruises,” said Dang Huy Hau, vice chairman of the committee. “We will decide which ones are suitable for operating overnight cruises and which are not to improve the safety of tourist activities.”
“This is the deadliest tour boat accident since the country opened up to foreign visitors 25 years ago. We will pay an expensive price for this accident,” said Hau before promising, “Those held responsible will be dealt with seriously in accordance with the law.”
Tourism authorities also confirmed that AZ Travel (based in Hanoi’s Old Quarter), which booked tourists onto the ill-fated tour, is now not allowed to deal with international inbound travelers.
The UNCESCO-protected World Heritage Site Halong .Bay is a massive hotspot for I tourism in Vietnam