Bereaved Family Posts on Vietnamese Travel Community
Claims of Lifeguard Negligence and Resort's Delayed Response
"Local Public Security Officers Thoroughly Sided with the Resort"
A post claiming that a Korean man drowned due to the inadequate response of a resort in Nha Trang, Vietnam, is spreading online. The victim's family strongly criticized the resort, insisting that the delay in rescue efforts caused them to miss the golden time to save him.
On June 27, a post titled "My Family Member Died Due to Resort Negligence During Our Nha Trang Trip" was uploaded to a travel community. The author, identified as Mr. A, wrote, "If anyone local sees this, I earnestly ask for your help. Any form of help or information is desperately needed," and explained, "My younger sister's husband, my brother-in-law, died two days ago in a drowning accident at a resort while on a family trip."
Mr. A pointed out the resort's inadequate response to the accident, stating, "The resort refused to release the CCTV footage, so I had to cause a scene at the police station to finally view it." He continued, "For 20 minutes, as the waves suddenly grew stronger, my brother-in-law barely managed to stay afloat with a single tube, but the lifeguard just sat there doing nothing. When they finally noticed him sinking, they responded in an unthinkable way for a lifeguard, missing even the slim chance we had during the golden time."
He further criticized the delay, saying, "For 30 minutes after moving him to land and performing CPR, no one called an ambulance. The ambulance only arrived an hour after the accident." Mr. A expressed his anger, adding, "Now the resort is trying to shift the blame, saying maybe he had a heart condition."
Mr. A also raised questions about the response of the local investigative authorities. He said, "When I went to the police station, the local public security officers were completely on the resort's side. They used all sorts of wordplay and cited local laws, withholding even the evidence the resort reluctantly provided from the family." He added, "They kept asking irrelevant and meaningless questions, as if to wear us down, and I almost lost my temper."
The post has now been viewed more than 15,000 times and has over 170 comments. Another Korean traveler, who claimed to have witnessed the scene, commented, "I saw people performing artificial respiration on the beach on the day of the accident. It looked like resort staff were doing CPR without an ambulance present, and I was very worried that the golden time was passing by."
Mr. A appealed for help from those familiar with the local situation, saying, "A 4-year-old child witnessed his father's death, and since we have to hold the funeral, the family cannot stay in Nha Trang indefinitely. But if we can at least uncover the truth, it might help ease the family's pain somewhat."
Meanwhile, Nha Trang is a coastal city located between Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam and is a highly popular destination for Korean tourists. According to an analysis by the travel platform Agoda, based on accommodation search data for check-ins in June and July 2025, Nha Trang ranked first as the most preferred summer vacation destination among travelers from South Korea.
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