Proposal to require cruise ships to have safety managers

VTV.vn - Draft new circular on technical requirements, environmental protection and safety management for overnight tourist accommodation ships, floating restaurants and floating hotels.

The Vietnam Register is urgently completing a draft of a new circular, replacing Circular No. 43/2012/TT-BGTVT, to update technical requirements, environmental protection and safety management for types of accommodation services on waterways such as overnight boats, floating restaurants and floating hotels.

Cruise ship for overnight stay . Illustration photo

The construction of the new circular is carried out according to Decision No. 1555/QD-BXD dated September 17, 2025 of the Ministry of Construction , aiming to perfect the legal system and improve the quality of inland waterway tourism services.

Legal updates and safety enhancements

Circular No. 43/2012/TT-BGTVT previously made an important contribution to the management of technical safety and environmental protection. However, with the development of science and technology, socio -economics and legal changes such as the Law on Inland Waterway Traffic (amended in 2014) and the process of rearranging administrative units, the issuance of a new circular is necessary to ensure consistency and uniformity in the legal system.

The Vietnam Register said the new circular consists of 10 articles, focusing on updating the legal system. The important new points are in Articles 6, 7, and 8, which clearly define the responsibilities of the captain, safety manager, and operating enterprise.

Mandatory requirements for safety management

The most notable point in the draft is the mandatory requirement that each tourist accommodation unit on the river must have a safety manager. This regulation is expected to increase supervision, proactively reduce risks, and at the same time build solid trust for tourists when using cruise services and floating restaurants.

The draft is designed to not create new administrative procedures and have negligible economic impacts. Instead, the new circular will bring great social benefits, contributing to the sustainable development of waterway tourism.

This Circular is expected to be issued by the Ministry of Construction in December 2025.

Source: https://vtv.vn/de-xuat-du-thuyen-bat-buoc-phai-co-nguoi-quan-ly-an-toan-100251121141913244.htm