A MAN who tried to ROW 1,240 miles in a rubber dinghy to see his wife has been rescued off the coast of Thailand.
The Vietnamese husband, Ho Hoang Hung, 37, set off from Phuket in Thailand to India equipped with water and instant noodles — but no navigation system.
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Ho planned to cross the Bay of Bengal just before the start of the cyclone season.
But a fishing boat spotted him on Wednesday near the Similan Islands, about 50miles off the Thai coast, and contacted the navy’s maritime security unit.
He was then rescued and taken into custody.
Ho told officials he was trying to reach his wife, who works in Mumbai, India.
Captain Pichet Songtan, from the Thai Maritime Enforcement Command Centre, said Ho had been separated from his wife for two years due to Covid travel restrictions and was trying to reach her by other means.
Pichet said the man was found with no map, compass, GPS or change of clothes and only a limited amount of water.
Ho had first flown to Bangkok but he didn’t have a visa so he couldn’t travel to India.
He then decided to take a bus to Phuket, where he bought a rubber dinghy and started paddling.
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The devoted husband set off around March 5, but faced strong headwinds, which hindered his progress.
Ho was at sea for about two weeks before he was found.
Thai officials said Ho would return to Phuket for questioning.
Pichet added: “We have contacted the Vietnamese embassy as well as Indian embassy but not had a reply yet.”
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