The nesting area for the turtles is at Ba Hon beach, Hon Cau island. This particular sea turtle was initially identified as belonging to the Green Sea Turtle family, scientifically known as Chelonia mydas. This species is listed in the Vietnamese Red Book and is considered endangered and rare, requiring conservation. After digging a nest in the sand and laying its eggs, the mother turtle covers the nest with sand and returns to the sea.
According to the Hon Cau Marine Reserve Management Board, after the mother turtle left, staff checked and collected 101 white eggs. All were moved to an incubation area near the control station, placed in a sand nest simulating natural conditions, and protected by a fence. Under normal weather conditions, the eggs will hatch after 45-60 days.
It is known that the breeding season for sea turtles usually runs from May to October each year. At Hon Cau, the main species that come ashore to lay eggs are green sea turtles (Eurycoma longifolia). To ensure the absolute safety of the mother turtles during the breeding season, staff and volunteers of the Hon Cau Marine Reserve regularly patrol the beach and monitor the turtles. When they detect a turtle laying eggs, the staff and volunteers immediately remove the nest and erase all traces of the mother turtle to prevent individuals seeking to profit from sea turtles from tracking them down.
Located approximately 10 km from the mainland, Hon Cau Marine Protected Area is one of 16 marine protected areas of special significance to Vietnam's marine environment. The entire area covers approximately 12,500 hectares, including the island itself, the protective buffer zone, and the core, buffer, and ecological restoration zones. This protected area boasts a diverse ecosystem of coral reefs and seagrass beds, and is also a habitat and breeding ground for many rare and valuable aquatic species with significant economic and ecological importance. Among them, sea turtles are a rare and highly endangered species.
Over the years, in order to raise community awareness about the importance of marine conservation and sea turtle protection by creating opportunities for people to participate in patrolling and protecting sea turtle nesting grounds on the island, Hon Cau Marine Reserve has called on volunteers to come to the island to participate in activities, successfully protecting many turtle nests, hatching and releasing thousands of baby turtles back into the sea.