Nine foreign sailors were rescued by two Vietnamese fishing vessels 118 nautical miles off southern Ba Ria-Vung Tau province at 7 am on November 21, said the National Committee for Search and Rescue Office.

The Malaysian Embassy in Vietnam stated that the victims were crewmembers of the Malaysian ship, MT ZAFIRAH.

Four of the distressed sailors are from Indonesia, and the rest are from Myanmar .

The ship may have been victim to piracy in the waters of Vietnam.

A ship from the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre was sent to bring the nine sailors ashore the same day.-VNA