Vietnam forum

Serious boat accident in Cu Lao Cham-Hoi An

Pablot

tuk tuk driver
Posts: 102

A very serious boat accident occurred on Sunday at the river inlet between Hoi An and Cu Lao Cham http://w3hotnews.blogspot.com/2011/12/boat-capsizes-five-feared-dead.html
The vessel appears to have hit a sand bank which is why its back (deadwood) was broken and it fell apart in the water. Before any tourists goes on a boat to Cu Lao Cham 10 miles offshore (or on any boat in Vietnam!) know weather conditions and the quality of your Operator and boat. Safest time to travel by boat to Cu Lao Cham is Summer; the worse season is Monsoon Season (September - December) and Winter (December - March). Global warming is making seas rougher and weather more unpredictable globally !

#1 Posted: 26/12/2011 - 04:32
MADMAC

mahout
Posts: 4001

"Global warming is making seas rougher and weather more unpredictable globally !"

Assuming this is correct, it is useful to those planning on taking boat tours how?

#2 Posted: 26/12/2011 - 11:55

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Victory in Pattani
amandajocky

newbie
Posts: 4

That is terrible, i d not want to hear that, Vietnam administrators should take action of solve this issue, the travel insurance will be always important for all travelers,

#3 Posted: 26/12/2011 - 19:26
MADMAC

mahout
Posts: 4001

This isn't really a place where government "takes action" to solve social problems. It happens, but it's secondary here. So I would be surprised if you saw some sort of new regulation in the boating industry here. This isn't the first accident to occur, and it won't be the last.

#4 Posted: 26/12/2011 - 23:15

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Victory in Pattani
Pablot

tuk tuk driver
Posts: 102

Which is why it is even more important in Vietnam compared with many other destinations to be sure of weather, operator and vessel before going on board ! VN Tour Operators and boat owners are having a very difficult time financially and they are not in a position to invest heavily in vessels or operations to international standards ! In the harsh marine environment there is little room for error. "Buyer beware" is the best approach.

#5 Posted: 26/12/2011 - 23:41
MADMAC

mahout
Posts: 4001

Exactly. One of the things that is difficult to understand for a lot of westerners who come here is the line of thought that governments declare laws and regulations and then enforce those standards. These are not really societies of law, and what the law says is secondary to other practical considerations. We tend to expect that when there are systemic issues concerning public safety, that the government will enact and enforce regulation to deal with those issues. But generally speaking, things don't work that way here. Hence the rules of the road are much less rules, than general guidelines which the police may or may not enforce.

#6 Posted: 27/12/2011 - 02:50

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Victory in Pattani