April also marks the start of the summer travel season, and Ha Long Bay is entering its peak period for welcoming visitors, bringing significant pressure on waterway tourism transport operations. In this context, ensuring the safety of tourist boats is not only a management requirement but has become a key factor in maintaining the destination's reputation.
Currently, nearly 400 licensed tourist boats operate in Ha Long Bay. In recent years, the fleet has undergone a clear improvement in quality, with many steel-hulled vessels and high-end overnight boats being invested in, gradually replacing older vessels. At the same time, the port and wharf system, waterways, and anchorage areas have been upgraded in a coordinated manner, helping improve safety standards and service capacity. The tourism environment in the bay has consequently become increasingly professional, better meeting the diverse needs of domestic and international visitors.
However, the rapid increase in visitor numbers and vessel density has also created more stringent requirements for safety control. Recognizing this, the Department of Construction has proactively implemented a plan to conduct a comprehensive review of the entire fleet before the peak season. Inter-agency inspection teams have been established, focusing on checking vessels' technical conditions, life-saving and rescue equipment, as well as the records and professional certificates of captains and crew members.
One new development this year is tighter oversight of crew members, particularly new workers. In addition to checking documents, the authorities are also directly assessing practical skills in handling real-life situations, with the aim of minimizing risks arising from human factors—potential causes in many waterway incidents. Alongside inspections, training is being intensified with a focus on practical effectiveness. Fire prevention and firefighting, as well as maritime search-and-rescue plans, are rehearsed periodically with the participation of multiple forces. Simulating realistic situations such as boat fires, loss of control during thunderstorms, and collisions in the bay… helps crew members improve their reflexes and coordination when incidents occur.
Meanwhile, the Quang Ninh Inland Waterway Port Authority continues to effectively fulfill its role as the “coordination center” for tourist boat operations. GPS tracking devices have been installed on 100% of the vessels operating in the bay. Through this system, information on vessels' positions, speeds, and routes is updated continuously, helping the management authorities promptly detect anomalies and issue early warnings. Management is not limited to technical monitoring but is also being tightened through a clear accountability mechanism. Coordination regulations among the relevant parties have been refined in the direction of “clear people, clear responsibilities,” assigning specific responsibilities to each boat owner and captain. A hotline has been made public, creating a channel for receiving direct feedback from visitors—a “soft monitoring channel” that is nevertheless effective in practice.
According to a representative of the Quang Ninh Inland Waterway Port Authority, alongside its heritage value, safety is the foundation for the sustainable development of tourism in Ha Long Bay. During this year's peak season, all vessel owners and crew members have been fully briefed on the regulations before carrying passengers, ensuring that every boat leaving the port is in the highest possible state of safety.
However, the greatest challenge at present does not lie with the vessels or people, but with natural factors. Weather patterns in the bay are becoming increasingly unpredictable, particularly thunderstorms and squalls that develop rapidly, cover a narrow area, but are intense. This is a potentially serious safety risk, especially for boats operating in the middle of the bay or anchored overnight. Before this reality, the authorities have strengthened duty operations, closely monitored weather developments, and maintained round-the-clock patrols and inspections in key areas. Boat owners are required to arrange 24/24-hour watchkeeping and proactively prepare response plans for abnormal situations. The principle of “no safety—no departure” continues to be strictly enforced, even during the peak tourist season.
In 2026, Quang Ninh aims to welcome more than 20 million visitors, making an important contribution to the province's economic growth. Along this journey, ensuring the safety of nearly 400 tourist boats operating in the bay is not only an immediate task but also a long-term commitment to visitors. Keeping every boat and every journey safe is not only the responsibility of management authorities or businesses, but also a core factor in enabling Ha Long Bay to continue affirming its position as a safe, world-class destination on the global tourism map.
