Eight Burmese fishermen drifted at sea for three days before they were rescued by a passing cargo ship in Vietnam.

The fishermen were all wearing orange life vests while clinging to a large plastic container when the Panamanian ship Trump SW crew found them in Vung Tau province on August 26.

Footage shows how the men were pulled onboard using a rope and given first aid treatment as one suffered a broken leg while the rest had been starving and dehydrated.

After three days, on August 29, they reached the nearest port on the southern coast, where coast guard officers waited to assist them so they could return to their home country.

Cargo ship crewman Nguyen Chi Thanh, who first saw the lost fishermen, said: ‘I saw an orange object floating in the sea. I checked closer and saw several people wearing life vests. They were hanging onto a large plastic tank and screaming for help. I immediately informed my captain, and we began the rescue.'

The ship steered towards the fishermen and began pulling them one by one. They had to carry one of them onboard because he almost fainted from having a broken leg and excessive bleeding. After receiving first aid treatment from the kind crew, he was in stable condition.

The ship's captain informed the coast guard about the rescue operation and asked them to meet at the nearest port to hand off the fishermen.

After taking enough rest and regaining their health, the crew interviewed the fishermen but could only speak their native language, so details about their ordeal remained unclear.

Vietnamese authorities launched an investigation while they contacted the Burmese embassy about the incident.

Meanwhile, the cargo ship Trump SW returned on its way to Indonesia, where it was supposed to fetch goods to take to China.