Rescue teams continued their search on Sunday for 5 individuals who remained unaccounted for following the capsizing of the Wonder Sea, a tourist vessel that overturned during a sudden storm in Vietnam’s famed Ha Long Bay. The incident, occurring on Saturday afternoon, resulted in a confirmed death toll of 38, with survivors and casualties predominantly among Vietnamese families, including over 20 children.
The vessel set out from Ha Long Bay—approximately 200 km northeast of Hanoi—with 48 passengers and 5 crew members on board. At around 1:30 p.m. local time, a violent squall struck: hailstones as large as toes, torrential rain, fierce winds, thunder, and lightning descended without warning. The sudden onset of the storm caused the craft to capsize, trapping passengers beneath the waterline.
Survivors narrated harrowing escapes from the submerged hull. One 36‑year‑old survivor recounted abandoning his life vest, diving through cabin windows, following faint streaks of light and managing to surface, spending hours gripping the overturned vessel until rescue arrived.
Another 10‑year‑old boy described swimming through gaps and calling out before being lifted aboard a military rescue craft.
By Saturday evening, authorities recovered eleven survivors and retrieved 34 bodies. Overnight efforts saw the recovery of 3 crew members from the cabin, raising the confirmed fatalities to 37. An eleventh survivor succumbed in hospital on Sunday, increasing the death toll to 38.
Rescue personnel—including border guards, naval forces, police, and professional divers—continued their search at first light despite visibility and weather challenges.
Vietnam's prime minister, Pham Minh Chinh, expressed condolences to the bereaved and directed ministries of defence and public security to accelerate search operations. He also called for an investigation into the capsizing’s causes and for any responsible violations to be strictly addressed.
Local officials noted that the extreme weather resulted from atmospheric instability in northern Vietnam rather than direct effects of the approaching Typhoon Wipha, which had entered the South China Sea and was expected to reach the northern coast early in the coming week.
Ha Long Bay, a UNESCO World Heritage site renowned for its emerald waters and towering limestone islets, draws millions of visitors annually. This disaster marks one of the most severe maritime tragedies in recent memory, comparable to the sinking of a tour boat in 2011 when twelve people, including foreign tourists, lost their lives.
Naval crews have since recovered the sunken vessel, and ongoing operations aim to locate those still missing before the arrival of Wipha, which threatens to further complicate the maritime environment.