Eight individuals who just returned from China were detained when hiding on a boat en route to Ha Long City in the northern Vietnamese province of Quang Ninh to duck border checkpoints.

The detention was confirmed on Saturday by the Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control of Ha Long.

According to local authorities, the clandestine operation took place in the late hours of Friday near the HL 1-5 dock of Ha Long, where a patrol cohort under the border guard force of the local Hon Gai Port detected a suspicious wooden ferry with plate number QN 6271.

The captain of this ferry was identified as Tran Van Hung, a 60-year-old who lives in the city's Hong Hai Ward.

The patrol team detected eight male passengers on the ferry, who were later revealed as the Vietnamese crew members of the Hai Phuong Sun ship carrying plate number IMO 9526569.

Earlier, the Hai Phuong Sun departed from China’s Macau and reached Hon Gai Port on Thursday.

After landing, the crew members opted to sneak into downtown Ha Long by boat to dodge medical checkpoints.

Considering the reckless behavior of the group, which could have posed major threats of COVID-19 transmission to the population, the border guards of Hon Gai Port have called on the Ha Long City’s Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control to send the eight to quarantine and pull the ferry to the shore for further investigation.

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