During a Sunday trial, Le Sen, 54, was sentenced to seven years in jail for violating regulations on waterway traffic, which had caused a serious accident leaving 17 tourists dead in February 2022.

According to the court, Sen was operating the Phuong Dong 5 speedboat, carrying 36 tourists and three crew members including him from Cham Island to Hoi An's Cua Dai Beach, when it capsized on the afternoon of February 26, 2022.

Investigations showed that the boat overturned when Sen was speeding, attempting to make a turn at 20-25 kph while the maximum safe speed for the boat was just 9 kph.

The boat quickly sank, leaving 17 tourists dead and three others injured.

The court also asked the Phuong Dong Tourism Company where Sen was working to pay a compensation of about VND4.5 billion to the families of the victims.