Boat trips around Phu Quoc after 11 July 2026

On 14 July a vice-chairman of the Phu Quoc special zone People's Committee signed a document tightening waterway traffic safety on the island. As reported by Tuoi Tre and Tien Phong, it requires that:

• canoes are registered and inspected, technically safe, and carry no more passengers or cargo than allowed;
• every vessel carries life jackets and rescue equipment for its passengers;
• crews are large enough and hold valid professional certificates;
• boats do not leave port in bad weather or when conditions are unsafe;
• the inland waterway port authority checks vessels at the island's piers and ports, and suspends piers or vessels that do not meet the conditions;
• traffic police patrol shipping lanes and check the certificates of crews and pilots;
• border guards do not allow departures when there is a warning of bad weather, a tropical depression or strong wind, and compare the actual passengers with the registered list before departure.

Further measures were reported in the days after. An inter-agency team checks the registration of canoes carrying visitors to the An Thoi islands and suspends those that fall short. An Giang's Department of Tourism told businesses that canoe tours and sea sports must stop when the weather turns complicated. Bao Xay dung reported that boats are not to leave if passengers are not wearing life jackets.

On 12 July several operators at An Thoi paused all island canoe tours on their own initiative, before any official order, and one cancelled more than 20 tours booked by foreign visitors. One operator told Tuoi Tre that on the morning of 15 July the tours were still paused; operators said they were checking engines, fire equipment and life buoys, reviewing staff certificates, and one was preparing registered twin-hull canoes without a roof. Tien Phong reported on 14 July that tourist canoes had been paused since the accident.

• Ask the operator whether the boat is registered and inspected, and whether it meets the SB class for island waters.
• Put on a life jacket before the boat leaves, and check there is one for every passenger, including children's sizes.
• Count the passengers against the seats; overloading is banned.
• Ask who decides on cancellation and what you get back. Under the rules, the port authority and border guards can stop a departure, and the operator must not leave in bad weather; get the refund terms in writing.
• Check the weather warnings for the day, especially from May to October.
• Save the emergency numbers: 112 for search and rescue, 113 police, 115 medical emergency. The special zone's Tourism Rapid Response Team, launched on 26 February 2026, works around the clock.