BANGKOK, March 24 — A Vietnamese man attempted to paddle on an inflatable boat from Phuket, Thailand to India, a journey of about 2,000  kilometres, to meet his wife who he has not meet in two yeas due to COVID-19 pandemic.

The 37-year-old man from  Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh city had been at sea for 18 days.

On Wednesday, Third Naval Area Command of the Royal Thai Navy and Similan Islands National Park officials rescued the man, about 80 kilometres away from the shore after being alerted by local fishermen.

In a statement, Third Naval Area Command of the Royal Thai Navy said the man planned to paddle from Phuket to India, across the Andaman Sea and through the Bay of Bengal on a 2.5 metres long inflatable boat to meet his wife. Local media reported that the journey would take him around 625 days to reach the Indian coast.

The statement said the officials found a dozen packs of instant noodles, a tank of water and luggage on the inflatable boat.

The rescue team took him to Similan Islands National Parks for further action.

On March 2, the man took a flight from Saigon to Bangkok and tried to get a connecting flight to Mumbai where his wife lives. However, his plan was disrupted as he was informed that he needed a visa.

Later, he decided to paddle from Phuket to India. He took a bus to the resort island and bought the inflatable boat. He departed on March 5.

Third Naval Area Command of the Royal Thai Navy posted photos of the man in the Facebook page with the caption “no matter how big the ocean is, it cannot get in the way of this man’s true love”.

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