The Historic Raft Voyage from Asia to America

via Vietnam Express, 23 February 2024: I had only ever heard of Thor Heyadahl’s Kon Tiki experiment to traverse the Pacific Ocean on a raft. In 1993, Vietnamese fisherman Luong Viet Loi, alongside Irish explorer Tim Severin and a diverse crew, embarked on a historic 5,500-mile journey across the Pacific Ocean on a bamboo raft named Tu Phuc to explore the theory of ancient Asian voyages to America. Despite facing storms, pirates, and logistical challenges, the team demonstrated the resilience and ingenuity of traditional sailing methods before being evacuated by the U.S. Coast Guard.

In 1993 Vietnamese fisherman Luong Viet Loi embarked on a 5,500-mile expedition across the Pacific Ocean to test the theory that ancient Asian voyagers reached America using simple rafts.

Loi from Sam Son coastal city of Thanh Hoa Province in central Vietnam was chosen by Irish explorer Tim Severin (1940-2020) to helm the voyage from Hong Kong to the U.S.

Source: 5,500 miles by raft: Vietnamese fisherman’s Pacific odyssey – VnExpress International