Answering call, day or night
Rescue and Recovery Team 116 (Team 116) was founded by Nham Quang Van, the director of a transport and crane supply company in Hung Yen Province. The idea wasn’t born in an office, but from his own harrowing life-and-death experience in 2015.
During a work trip, the barge carrying him, seven other engineers, and their equipment sank 5km from shore. The group only survived by scrambling onto the arm of a submerged crane that was still poking above the waves, where they were miraculously spotted and saved by a fishing boat. That experience forged a new purpose in Van. He knew he “had to do something to help others in peril, just as I had been helped.”
He began by outfitting his own vessels for waterway rescues. During the historic floods that ravaged Central Vietnam in October 2020, he and his friends mobilized a fleet of 60 rescue vehicles and 100 canoes, laden with essential supplies, and drove south to help. In the aftermath of that trip, Team 116 was officially born, with a mission to provide free assistance to boats and people in distress across the rivers and seas of Northern and Central Vietnam.
Today, Team 116 consists of 80 dedicated members, including more than 20 women and several volunteers over the age of 50. They are all unpaid freelance workers who will drop everything and head out into the dead of night at a moment’s notice. “My baby woke up, so I soothed him back to sleep and then I left”, one female member shared. “I believe the work I’m doing is meaningful.”
For these rescuers, their phone is an indispensable tool, always on and ready, even while they sleep. Most of their missions begin with a desperate call to the team’s hotline, but they also monitor the news themselves and will proactively reach out to offer assistance.
“When I first started, I’d come home and find I couldn’t eat”, Van confessed. “I was haunted by the images of the victims and the grief of their families. But eventually, a sense of compassion and responsibility grew stronger than the fear. It made me stronger, and I learned to manage my emotions to get the job done.”
Trained in international first-aid standards, Van’s mission extends beyond recovery. He organizes free swimming lessons and first-aid courses for children and adults, aiming to spread life-saving skills. For these quiet but profound contributions, Van and Team 116 were honored with the “Youth Dedication for the Community” award in 2023. This year, the team opened a new branch in Thanh Hoa Province, expanding their reach even further.
Seven days and nights on Ha Long Bay
The capsizing of the Vinh Xanh 58 tourist boat in Ha Long Bay on July 19 was one of the team’s most grueling tests. Van mobilized 35 members to join forces with Quang Ninh authorities. The search would last for seven days and six nights, conducted under the torrential rain and high waves of storm Wipha.
“Leave no one behind at sea. Don’t let the families’ pain drag on.” This was the mantra repeated at every emergency briefing. They worked around the clock in shifts. By the fifth day, recognizing that their larger vessels couldn’t navigate the bay’s narrow mountain crevices, they split into smaller groups, using 15 nimble rescue boats to scour every inlet, resting only when the weather became too dangerous to continue. They ate and slept on their boats, but their resolve never wavered.
After seven days and six nights of relentless effort, their iron will and seamless coordination paid off. On the afternoon of July 26, they found and brought ashore the last missing victim. It was a journey that ended in profound sadness, but it stood as a powerful testament to the courage and “no one left behind” motto of these volunteer heroes.
Team 116 livestreams rescues not for views, but to assure families they are safe and still working. Their reward isn’t money, but an outpouring of community gratitude. This dedication is unwavering.
The morning after finishing a grueling seven-day mission in Ha Long Bay, the exhausted team was called to another search at Hon Gai Beach in Quang Ninh Province, ready to go again.
For countless people, and especially for families stricken by tragedy, Team 116 has become a symbol of compassion – a warm, bright flame in the cold, dark water.
While searching for the last victim of the Vinh Xanh 58 tragedy, Team 116 received a donation of VND50 million (US$1,900). They immediately posted a message on their Facebook page: “To the family members from the Quang Ninh boat sinking who just transferred 50 million to our Rescue Fund, we don’t know who you are. Please contact us so we can return this money. Your family is enduring unimaginable pain and loss right now. You need this money more than we do. In five years of operation, Team 116 has never accepted money from any victim’s family.”
