Family escapes capsized Ha Long ship: giving up on one 'prediction' from a janitor?

In the Green Bay 58 tourist boat capsized in Ha Long Bay, when many tourists were tragically injured, a family of three was lucky to escape because they overslept. Regretting the trip, the family intended to reschedule for a later trip, but someone prevented them.

The story that seems to only exist in movies is the real experience of Ms. Ngan (Thanh Hoa), shared by her with tears in her eyes.

That morning, after a tiring day of walking, the couple’s little child fell asleep. Seeing the child sleeping soundly, the couple also took a few more minutes of sleep. That was the moment that accidentally helped them escape the fateful train.

"The owner of the Green Bay 58 made several phone calls but no one answered because the whole family was sleeping. Unexpectedly, that saved us," Ms. Ngan recalled.

She said that the previous afternoon, the couple had gone to the port to find out how to buy tickets. Because they had a small child, they decided to choose the earliest flight of the day so that they could take their child home in the afternoon to rest and eat on time.

"When I asked the ticket seller, I was told that no deposit was required. Customers go to the port to get the ticket and pay, then call when they arrive," Ms. Ngan recounted.

On July 19, the ship departed at 1 p.m. Around 12:50 p.m., the ship owner called the couple. The husband did not answer the first call. At that time, the whole family was still resting after a tiring trip. The baby was sleeping soundly, and the couple thought "people are often lazy when running", so they let the baby sleep for about 10 more minutes.

"We arrived at nearly 1:15 p.m. and were told the ship had already left," she said. The couple planned to change to the next trip at 2:15 p.m. However, the weather was bad and it started to get cloudy. Worried because they had a small child, they considered canceling their tickets.

"While I was hesitating, right at the checkpoint, the janitor whispered: 'Don't go, the little girl is scared'. I don't know why, but at that moment, I shivered. So I decided to cancel my reservation," Ms. Ngan said.

In the afternoon, her family took their children out for porridge and did not pick up the phone. It was not until her husband’s office called to inquire that they learned the bad news: the boat they had booked tickets on, the Green Bay 58, had capsized, and many people were missing and gone forever.

"At that time, I was stunned. I thought if I had just woken up 15 minutes earlier, I don't know what would have happened. I feel so sorry for the passengers on the train..." , Ms. Ngan said emotionally.

Regarding the incident, a survivor said the tragic incident might not have happened if the owner of the Green Bay 58 had followed the tourists' requests.

While being monitored at the Department of Trauma and Orthopedics, Quang Ninh General Hospital, Mr. Dang Anh Tuan (36 years old, residing in Hanoi) is still in shock after experiencing the train capsize that killed many people.

According to Mr. Tuan, his group of 14 people, all university friends, decided to visit Ha Long Bay and then bought tickets to board the Blue Bay 58 ship to take tour route number 2.

At around 1:30 p.m., the ship departed for the first sightseeing spot. At this time, the weather quickly changed from hot and sunny to rainy and windy. Everyone in the group asked the ship operator to return to port, but the ship owner and crew members still encouraged them, saying that they were about to arrive at the first sightseeing spot of the journey. Therefore, the ship was allowed to continue moving.

After that, Mr. Tuan and everyone else asked for life jackets and were instructed by the crew that the life jackets were under the table. Seeing the heavy rain and strong wind causing the ship to rock, Mr. Tuan and everyone else quickly put on their life jackets and settled down.

"I was the first person to put on a life jacket. Then, when everyone had just put it on, suddenly a big wave hit and caused the boat to capsize in an instant. There was only a small space left of air, I tried to breathe but the water quickly rose, I tried to take a deep breath and dived down, trying to find a way to escape," said Mr. Tuan.

According to this tourist, because he felt that the life jacket would hinder his diving into the water, he took it off and dived outside the boat. When he saw the light shining down from the sea surface, Mr. Tuan quickly swam up.

To date, only 2 people in Mr. Tuan's group of 14 have survived. His health has gradually stabilized but he is still in shock after experiencing a life-and-death moment.

Cruise ship capsized in Ha Long: before sinking, there was this unexpected incident Bảo Yến21:50:43 21/07/2025Regarding the capsize of the Green Bay 58 ship on July 20, Colonel Hoang Van Thuyet, Quang Ninh province, said that a sudden storm accompanied by hail and strong winds, causing limited visibility, was the cause of the ship capsize.