A TOURIST BOAT IN VIETNAM has capsized, killing a dozen people, including visitors from Australia, Europe, the US and Russia.

A Vietnamese local government official told the AFP that 10 foreigners and two Vietnamese people died in the incident, but the other 15 people on board the vessel were rescued by other tour boats in the area.

The AP reports that the boat was anchored and passengers were  asleep when it suddenly sank this morning.

Six of the 27 on board were crew members, and the victims are believed to have come from Australia, France, Italy, Britain, Sweden, and Japan. The group’s Vietnamese tour guide is also thought to have died.

Those who died were staying in cabins on board the boat.

In 2009, a five people died when their tour boat sank in the bay during a storm, and winds caused boats to capsize in 2006 and 2002, killing foreign visitors. The latest tragedy came during calm conditions, according to witnesses.

The popular tourist area Ha Long Bay is a Unesco World Heritage Site famed for its hundreds of islands and limestone pillars.