Endangered green sea turtle returns to Vietnamese island to lay eggs

The nest, found on Cau Cang Beach, contained 112 eggs believed to belong to a green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas), a species listed in Vietnam’s Red Data Book as endangered and in urgent need of conservation.

This marks the sixth turtle nest recorded on the island in 2025.

Park rangers and volunteers promptly relocated the eggs to a designated hatching site to ensure safe incubation.

Under normal weather conditions, the eggs are expected to hatch within 45 to 60 days.

Notably, this is the second time the same mother turtle has returned to Hon Cau this year to nest, with the previous occurrence on June 23 involving a clutch of 108 eggs.

The nesting season for sea turtles in this region typically runs from May to October, with green sea turtles being the most common visitors to Hon Cau’s beaches.

To protect nesting turtles from poaching and disturbances, conservation teams regularly patrol the beaches, remove all traces of turtle tracks after egg-laying, and transfer eggs to guarded incubation zones.

Located 10 kilometers offshore, the Hon Cau Marine Protected Area spans approximately 12,500 hectares and is among Vietnam’s 16 key marine conservation zones.

The area features a rich ecosystem, including coral reefs and seagrass beds, serving as critical habitats for a variety of marine species, including endangered sea turtles.

In recent years, the reserve has actively engaged local communities and volunteers in turtle conservation.

These efforts have led to the successful hatching and release of thousands of baby turtles back into the wild.

The Hon Cau Marine Protected Area is formerly of south-central Binh Thuan Province, which has been merged with neighboring Lam Dong Province to form the current Lam Dong, as part of the recent major administrative restructuring in which 63 Vietnamese provinces and cities were reduced to 34 and local administrations being divided into provinces/cities and wards/communes, effective July 1.