The waters surrounding Con Dao are critical nesting grounds for the Green Turtle (Chelonia mydas), locally known as Vích, and the Hawksbill Turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata). Within Con Dao National Park, 14 beaches serve as nesting sites, covering tens of thousands of square meters. Several of these beaches—such as Big Sand Beach on Bay Canh Island, Big Sand Beach on Hon Cau, Big Sand Beach on Hon Tre Lon, Hon Tai Beach, and Duong Beach on Bay Canh Island—host large numbers of nesting females. Five ranger stations are positioned at these major nesting beaches, each staffed by 5 to 8 forest rangers responsible for protecting natural resources and conserving sea turtle populations.
Every year from May to October, more than 400 mother turtles come ashore to nest on the sandy beaches of Con Dao National Park. Over 150,000 hatchlings are rescued and released into the sea annually, with an impressive hatching success rate of 87%. During peak nesting season, especially on Bay Canh and Hon Tre Lon islands, 10 to 20 mother turtles may arrive to nest each night.
Since 1994, the Con Dao National Park Management Board has implemented a comprehensive Sea Turtle Conservation Program with three main components:
- Research on sea turtle ecology, including tagging, satellite tracking, and morphological measurements.
- Protection of nesting habitats and egg clutches through patrols, monitoring, beach cleaning, and relocating nests to safer areas when necessary.
- Development of hatcheries, providing secure incubation stations, monitoring hatching success, and releasing hatchlings back into the ocean.
Con Dao National Park is the first and most successful site in Vietnam to implement a sea turtle conservation program. More than 85% of all sea turtles nesting in Vietnam return to Con Dao’s beaches. The Green Turtle population here is one of the largest in Southeast Asia. Con Dao National Park has been recognized by the Vietnam Record Book as the place with the highest number of hatchlings released into the sea.
During the peak nesting months of July and August, the Park faces significant manpower shortages in carrying out this important conservation work. The Management Board welcomes and encourages community support for the ongoing efforts to protect Con Dao’s sea turtles.
