Reports indicate that the ship Phuong Nam, numbered KG 23239 HC 19, initially caught fire at around 9:00 a.m. in the waters off of Ha Tien when it was taking passengers to visit Hai Tac island, also known as Pirate island.

The Kien Giang provincial Border Guard Command immediately dispatched rescue ships to the scene as soon as the alarm was raised in order to put out the fire and safely bring ashore passengers.

Fire crews battled for an hour to bring the blaze under control. 

With the ship being comprised of composite materials, the fire completely destroyed the vessel in a matter of minutes.

According to an initial investigation, the fire had broken out in the ship's engine room, although the cause of the incident remains under further investigation. VOV