The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism would work out a set ofstandards for tour boats nationwide to ensure passenger safety, itsdeputy director Hoang Thi Diep said at an online conference in Hanoi onJune 1.

The move follows recent accidents that led to the deaths of dozens of people.

Diep, however, also said it was too early to announce the new standards.

Representatives, including those from Da Nang , Hanoi and HCMCity , agreed that poor management by various authorised bodies was toblame for the accidents.

Another deputy director of theadministration Pham Minh Nghia said that many boats were registered aspassenger ferries, but in fact worked as tour boats.

Itwas also difficult to distinguish between tour boats and passengerferries because most also served as restaurants, said Nghia.

"We do not have specialised regulations to issue permits so we cannotpunish boat owners," he said. To confuse matters, the inland waterwaytraffic law regulates that passengers cannot walk on the top of boats,but the tourist law says they can.

Tran Danh Thang, deputydirector of the Waterway Police said that there were no clearregulations regarding whether a boat could stay out overnight, or forapproving captains and chief mechanics.

Regulations are defined by provincial authorities and they vary from province to province.

The Ministry of Transport launched a 10-day inspection of tour boatstoday to check if they are equipped with life-jackets, whether they areregistered and captain's certificates.

Deputy Minister ofCulture, Sports and Tourism Ho Anh Tuan said that the ministry has askedcity and provincial authorities to monitor all waterway tourismenterprises, and focus on the safety of boats and the availability oflife-jackets./.