Coral reef in Vietnam in distress as tourist season peaks: 2 fined for breaking off Acropora coral
Two tourists have been fined after breaking off branches of Acropora coral at Hon Chong beach in Khanh Hoa Province, south-central Vietnam and attempting to take them home as souvenirs, an incident that has sparked widespread public outrage.
Photos and videos of the incident went viral on Facebook on Saturday night, showing a group of around 10 tourists collecting broken coral after swimming at Hon Chong beach in Bac Nha Trang Ward.
Some were seen stuffing coral into plastic bags, while others carried the pieces by hand.
Identities confirmed, evidence seized
Speaking to Tuoi Tre (Youth) online newspaper, Dam Hai Van, head of the Nha Trang Bay Management Board, confirmed that the board was aware of the incident.
On Sunday morning, the Bac Nha Trang Ward People's Committee, in coordination with ward police, the Nha Trang Bay Management Board, and the Khanh Hoa Sub-Department of Fisheries, summoned two men identified as V.V.B., 50, and N.V.Y., 62, both from Dong Nai City, after determining that they had broken off the coral.
Le Dai Duong, chairman of Bac Nha Trang Ward, said that as soon as the report came in, the ward People's Committee ordered police to work with relevant units to track down the group.
Authorities located the tourists on the morning of Sunday and seized the coral just as the group was preparing to check out of their hotel.
During the meeting, both men said they did not know the coral reefs at Hon Chong were under strict protection or that disturbing them was prohibited, adding that they had unintentionally damaged the coral after swimming.
Police meet with the two tourists who broke off coral at Hon Chong beach. Photo: Nguyen Hoang / Tuoi Tre
The Nha Trang Bay Management Board said the coral the two men broke off weighed more than 10 kilograms and belonged to the genus Acropora, commonly known as staghorn coral.
Representatives of the Bac Nha Trang Ward People's Committee issued the two men administrative violation notices for illegally exploiting a protected aquatic species.
The coral belongs to Group II of Vietnam's list of endangered, precious and rare aquatic species and is also listed under Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
However, the violation did not meet the threshold for criminal prosecution.
On Monday, each man was fined VND25 million (US$952), a ward committee representative confirmed.
Racing to save coral
The Nha Trang Bay Management Board has rolled out a range of systematic measures over the years.
According to Khanh Hoa Province's official web portal, the Nha Trang Bay Management Board has been temporarily restricting access to the coral reef area between Hon Chong and Dang Tat from May 16 through the end of August 2026.
The area is closed from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm on low-tide days, typically at the beginning and middle of the lunar month, when coral reefs and seagrass beds are exposed and most susceptible to damage.
Climate experts have warned that the El Nino phenomenon in 2026 could hit Vietnam hard, particularly the south central coast, with average temperatures from June to December forecast to run 0.5 to 1.5 degrees Celsius above the multi-year average.
A sign strictly prohibiting entry to areas with coral reefs and seagrass beds, posted on the sidewalk along Pham Van Dong Street next to Hon Chong beach. Photo: Nguyen Hoang / Tuoi Tre
Dam Hai Van, director of the Nha Trang Bay Management Board, explained that once sea surface temperatures exceed 30.5 degrees Celsius for two to three consecutive weeks, coral undergoes ‘bleaching’: the coral expels the symbiotic algae living in its tissue, causing it to lose its vibrant color and turn pale white.
If the heat stress persists, the coral becomes exhausted, more susceptible to disease, and at risk of mass die-off, a chain of consequences that includes declining marine biodiversity, loss of habitat for many species, and direct harm to local fishermen's livelihoods.
Facing this twin pressure, the Nha Trang Bay Management Board has rolled out several measures simultaneously: removing crown-of-thorns starfish four times a month to curb the predator's spread, organizing seabed clean-ups and underwater debris collection, and suspending swimming, diving, boat, and glass-bottom boat activities in the strictly protected subzone of Hon Mun.
Tuoi Tre noted that as far back as 2023, Huynh Binh Thai, then head of the Nha Trang Bay Management Board, had identified the most vulnerable coral as the patch closest to shore, the very spot where locals are accustomed to wading out to catch crabs and snails at low tide.
He proposed designating the Hon Chong - Dang Tat area a strict protection zone, separate from swimming areas, and installing demarcation buoys and warning signs.
By May 2025, the measure had been made more concrete, with the board roping off the shoreline temporarily from 4:00 to 6:00 pm and deploying outreach teams to answer the public's questions about conservation.
Warning signs alone aren't enough
As soon as the photos began circulating on Saturday night, many internet users voiced their frustration.
One user, under the name M.T., commented that the coral area at Hon Chong had already been officially designated for protection, with a prohibition sign right on the sidewalk, and asked how the tourists "could be so inconsiderate."
As Tuoi Tre observed, signs prohibiting damage to coral reefs, seagrass beds, and fishing already line the sidewalk along Pham Van Dong Street, next to Hon Chong beach.
Another user raised a similar concern, noting that the area was under conservation and asking why the group would break off coral to take home.
Still, this is not the first time Hon Chong has seen damage that sparked public anger.
In May 2025, a TikTok clip promoting the site - claiming visitors could dive and see coral, sea urchins, and fish "without going far, without a tour" - went viral and drew a similarly fierce backlash.
Kim Thoa - Tuoi Tre News