Vietnamese man sails on rubber boat for 18 nights in an attempt to meet his wife in India

A Vietnamese man who hasn't seen the love of his life for over a year and tried to row 2,000 kilometres from Thailand to India to visit his wife has been taken into detention after being rescued off the Thai coast. The 37-year-old man, identified as Ho Hoang Hung, planned to cross the Bay of Bengal around the beginning of the cyclone season in a bid to meet his wife, who lives in Mumbai. Ho Hoang Hung was found paddling in an inflatable rubber boat in the Andaman Sea, 80 kms offshore.

Hung set off from the holiday island of Phuket in an inflatable rubber sailboat, prepared with water and instant noodles without any navigation system, intending to cross the Bay of Bengal not long before the start of cyclone season. The Thai Navy’s maritime security unit saved him, as informed by the Royal Thai Navy on Facebook. He said he wanted to paddle to his wife in India.

How did Ho Hoang Hung manage the trip?

According to Royal Thai Navy's post on Facebook, it was believed that the 3rd Naval Area coordinated with the Naval News Department Interpreter staff to view the information by telephone, understanding that the man intended to row a rubber boat to visit his wife who is located in Mumbai. The two had married two years ago but had to be separated due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

On 2 March 2022, the Vietnamese man managed to travel by plane from Saigon Vietnam to Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok. He intended to travel to India but had no visa to enter the country. He then decided to take a bus from Bangkok to Phuket.

It was discovered that he was floating in the sea for 18 nights. After being informed by fishermen, Thai navy officers brought the person to the Similan Islands National Park to coordinate with relevant agencies to proceed further.

The officers thanked the fishermen for informing them so that they could help this man, who had a heart big enough to risk his life and sat on a small rubber boat to cross the vast and dangerous Indian Ocean just to meet his beloved wife. The video went viral and garnered several reactions from viewers on Facebook,

"More than a hundred hearts, this is Thai navy," commented one user praising the efforts of the Navy. Take a look at some more comments below.

(Image: @กองทัพเรือ Royal Thai Navy/Facebook)