A Vietnamese tour guide and eleven tourists from Europe, the US, Japan and Australia died after their vessel sank during the early morning yesterday.
The incident is the worst recorded tourist boat accident in Ha Long Bay, one of Vietnam's main tourist attractions, where thousands of tourists each year take overnight boat tours.
Most of the tourists were reportedly asleep when a plank of the traditional junk ripped off, allowing water to pour in. There were a total of 27 people on board, according to Vietnamese authorities. Nine tourists and six local crew survived the accident and were rescued by nearby vessels.