Fire dancing, which is a frequent ‘specialty’ on local tourist ships, poses serious fire hazards to passengers aboard.

Such fire dancing performances have become a regular feature on the entertainment program of the tourist ships cruising along the Saigon River in downtown Ho Chi Minh City in recent years.

During a normal night on the 50-m, three-storey Saigon Tourist Ship, which is owned by Saigon Tourism Corp. and capable of carrying some 600 guests cruising along the Saigon River, at some 9pm, lights go out and some hundreds of tourists intently fix their eyes on a scantily-wearing girl, who is swinging to the music with two fire rings in her arms, with each ring having 10 blazing torches attached to it. The girl quickly puts the two fire rings into her body and swings them at ‘lightning’ speed. Every time the flames go out, a young man hands her a can of liquid for her to dip the torches into and setting fire to them.

Smokes spiral and ‘lick’ the ship ceiling, which is only 2m from the floor. The girl holds one of the blazing torches’ tip in her mouth while a client lights his cigarette in the blaze.

Nguyen Hong Hanh, the fire dancing girl, said she learned the art since a tender age and has performed on the Saigon ship every night in recent years.

“What I dread most is performing on the ship during windy nights, as gusts make the flames considerably more uncontrollable. I sometimes have the flames scorch my eyebrows or suffer minor burns. Sometimes the torches attached to the rings come off, if I accidentally fling it away, it might set fire to the ship,” she shared.

Other tourist ships at the Bach Dang wharf such as My Canh and Ben Nghe also host similar fire dancing performances. Though each performance typically lasts some five minutes, the dancers are ready to lengthen their performances with more stunts, such as wriggling, crawling on the floor and moving the blazing torches all over the body and swallowing flames, for generous tips.

The more exciting and risky the performances are, the nearer the spectators close in, circling the fire dancers, who stand merely 2m from the nearest dining tables.

Most tourists aboard remain indifferent to the hidden dangers.

“The performances are really fun. In case of fires, many people can easily put it out, especially on a river,” said a tourist.

Though fire dancing performances aren’t licensed by the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, owners and captains of the tourist ships claimed that as fire dancing is deep-rooted in the country’s culture, they don’t need to apply for permits for the performances.

They added that they always have several men on standby to cope with emergencies, which never happened so far.

According to Le Van Tho, head of the Department of Firefighting and Water Rescue, passenger ships or vehicles aren’t allowed to host activities which generate heat or fire without permit.

“Even if some agencies grant the permit, we would propose that the permit be withdrawn as fire dancing on tourist ships is highly dangerous. Fire sparks may easily fall onto passengers or inflammable materials, which pose serious hazards to fire and water traffic safety,” Tho stressed.

There are currently no regulations on fining fire dancing performances on tourist ships. Also, owners of these ships aren’t required to provide lists of passengers’ names and addresses before the ships depart to better cope in case of accidents.

However, Tho’s department has requested the ship owners to suspend fire dancing performances to ensure passengers’ safety. The ship owners promised that they will seek a replacement to entertain their clients.