A fisherman and his teenage son drowned after they fell into the water and got caught in their own fishing nets, as they were catching crabs off northern Vietnam on Saturday.

The tragic accident happened near Cai Khien-Vung Go Islet off Hai Ha District, Quang Ninh Province in the morning, Nguyen Manh Cuong, chairman of the district's administration, confirmed later the same day.

The victims were Hoang Van Quang, 40, and his son, 19-year-old Hoang Van Hung, who resided in Tien Toi Commune, Hai Ha District.

According to preliminary information, the father and son headed to the maritime area on their boat to catch some crabs.

The circulation of Tropical Storm Mun was causing strong winds and high waves in the area, and their boat ended up hitting some rocks.

The collision threw Hung overboard. He was trapped in their fishing nets and was unable to free himself.

Quang jumped into the water in an attempt to rescue his son but he later suffered the same fate.

The two eventually drowned while they were still tangled in the nets.

Rescuers have brought their bodies back to mainland and returned them to their family for funeral rituals.

Tropical Storm Mun, the second to hit Vietnam this year, made landfall in northern Vietnam on early Thursday morning, packing winds at 70 to 75km per hour and gusts of up to 115km an hour.

It weakened into a tropical depression later the same day.

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