A South Korean man in his 60s who went missing while paddleboarding on Da Den Lake in Ho Chi Minh City was found dead about a day later, Vietnamese media reported. The case has renewed attention on a string of water recreation deaths linked to stand-up paddleboarding.
Tuoi Tre and other outlets reported that Do Chi Khoi, a member of the People’s Committee in Ho Chi Minh City’s Kim Long area, confirmed the victim was found at 12:20 p.m. on May 2 near where he disappeared. “Ho Chi Minh City police and the Korean consulate are continuing to investigate the circumstances,” he said.
Reports said the man, identified only as A, drove to the lake on the morning of May 1 with a Vietnamese acquaintance, identified as B. After parking by the shore, they rode stand-up paddleboards to the opposite bank, toured the area and took photos. As they headed back, B said he paddled a short distance alone, turned around and could no longer see A. B reported the disappearance to authorities.
Local officials deployed about 100 people, including police, militia members and rescue teams, to search the area. The body was recovered around midday the next day.
Da Den Lake spans several hundred hectares across Kim Long Commune and the districts of Ngai Giao and Tan Thanh. It is popular for camping and leisure activities, but its large area and deep water have been linked to repeated drowning incidents, reports said.
Other fatal paddleboarding incidents have also been reported. In October 2024, six tourists in their 20s from Lam Dong province paddled about 200 meters offshore near Long Hai waters off Phu Quy Island to take photos when strong winds and high waves hit under the influence of Typhoon Trami. A lodging boat rescued three people, and one returned by swimming. Another woman drifted for more than 12 hours holding a life buoy before a fishing boat rescued her. One person did not return; after a nine-day search involving dozens of boats and about 60 divers, authorities found the body wedged among rocks on a coastal breakwater more than 9 kilometers from where the person went missing. The area was off-limits to paddleboards, reports said.
In August last year, two female tourists paddleboarding with family near the coast of Hai Tac Island — often called “Pirate Island” — in An Giang province were thrown into the water when their board capsized in high waves. People nearby tried to rescue them but failed, and both were later found dead that afternoon. The An Giang provincial tourism department had issued a notice before the incident barring access to risky waters during bad weather, reports said.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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