Cruise ships on Vietnam’s Ha Long Bay fined for safety violations

 Tourists on Ha Long Bay face constant safety and pricing matters. Photo by Minh Cuong/VnExpress

340 ships on the bay have been fined this year for safety and scamming incidents.

Four cruise ships operating in Ha Long Bay have been fined for safety violations that endangered tourists.

Authorities at the world heritage site said two of the boats were fined for letting tourists sit on the side of the ships and the others for towing smaller boats carrying vendors.

The penalties were not revealed.

The beautiful Ha Long Bay is one of the most popular tourism attractions in Vietnam, but tourists do not always get to enjoy the whole journey, given issues about fire safety and overcharging on the boats.

Local authorities said around 340 ships have been fined this year, and many have been docked for price gouging. A pilot was also fired in July for driving with his feet, leading to several collisions.

Authorities plan to improve services in the bay by imposing a ban on overnight trips and replacing all wooden boats and ships with metal vessels in the next five years to prevent fires.

Currently, around 500 tourist ships operate across Ha Long, and less than half dock overnight.

The bay welcomed about 2.5 million tourists in 2015.

By Vy An  / VnExpress