Nearly 40 years of "living in the forest and by the sea".

Time, wind, and sea salt have etched their mark on his graying hair and sun-tanned skin, making Mr. Vững look older than his age. But whenever he talks about the sea and sea turtles, his voice slows down, becoming warm and deep, like an unending stream of memories and passion. Originally from Hậu Giang province (now Cần Thơ city), in 1984, at the age of 17, Nguyễn Văn Vững first set foot on Côn Đảo Island to join the youth volunteer force planting trees there.

The pristine scenery of mountains, forests, seas, and islands captivated the young man. After that trip, he enlisted in the forest ranger force under the Con Dao Forbidden Forest Management Board, the predecessor of today's Con Dao National Park. "Back then, Con Dao faced countless difficulties. No electricity, no phone signal, and traveling between islands was extremely challenging. The work involved not only planting and protecting forests but also conserving rare and endangered wild animal and plant species," Mr. Vung recalled.

Engineer Nguyen Van Vinh and volunteers release baby turtles into the sea.

Many people who joined the forest ranger profession later requested transfers back to the mainland due to the hardships. Mr. Vững, however, was different. In 1988, he married a colleague, determined to stay on the island for the long term. With the opportunity provided by his agency to study forestry engineering, he diligently studied and accumulated scientific knowledge about marine ecology to serve conservation work later on. His job required him to "stay on the island, stay in the forest," sometimes only returning home once every few months. But in return, he had very special stories to share with his children. "Every time I come home, my children ask: 'Dad, are there many turtles this time? Are any coming back?' For me, besides my family, the sea is also my home, and the turtles are like family," Mr. Vững shared.

For nearly 40 years working in Con Dao National Park, the checkpoints, the large and small islands have become familiar places, where he has dedicated all his heart, sacrifice, and contribution. "It's sad here, but it's also very peaceful. At night, I hear turtles crawling onto the beach, I hear the waves crashing, and I feel small yet happy," Mr. Vung confided.

Deeply indebted to the ocean.

The waters around Con Dao Island boast the largest population of sea turtles coming ashore to lay eggs in the country, accounting for approximately 90% of Vietnam's total sea turtle breeding population. It's considered a "breeding cradle" for tens of thousands of turtles each year. Four rare species of turtles are recorded here: the green sea turtle, the hawksbill turtle, the olive ridley turtle, and the loggerhead turtle. Sea turtles choose 18 nesting beaches covering an area of ​​about 24 hectares, concentrated at locations such as Bay Canh Island, Cau Island, Tai Island, and Tre Lon Island... "In the early days, when I saw the mother turtle crawling ashore to lay eggs, I was speechless. A creature weighing almost 100 kilograms, yet so gentle and slow. It dug a nest, laid its eggs, then covered them with sand, like a clumsy mother. After laying the eggs, it quietly returned to the sea. I watched, deeply moved. It turns out the sea also knows how to love, how to leave behind its own life," Mr. Vung recalled.

Engineer Nguyen Van Vinh.

The emotions of those days and his love for sea turtles grew stronger. During the breeding season from April to November each year, Mr. Vung and his teammates are on duty almost every night to protect and "midwife" the turtles. He can't remember how many eggs he has helped hatch successfully or how many baby turtles he has released back into the sea. In his small daily notebook, he and the volunteers recorded that in one year, they released 180,000 turtles back into the sea. To protect the beaches where turtles come to lay their eggs, he and his teammates have to live for months on end on the small island in conditions lacking electricity, fresh water, and phone signal, accustomed to forest mosquitoes and the salty sea breeze. Mr. Vung is considered a "sea turtle scribe" because he knows every beach, rocky outcrop, tide times, wind seasons, habits, and breeding patterns of the turtles. Every night, he silently walks along the beach, his headlamp emitting a faint red light, his footsteps treading on sharp pebbles and rocks, a familiar routine as breathing.

During our time accompanying Mr. Vung to Bay Canh Island—Vietnam's largest turtle nesting ground—we understood why he's called the "midwife" of mother turtles. On a moonless night, the sea was rough, and waves crashed violently. He whispered, "Due to the storm, the sea is rough; we haven't seen any turtles come ashore for three nights. But according to my experience, there will be some tonight." Sure enough, at midnight, a large, dark shadow slowly crawled onto the shore from the dark sea. The mother turtle took nearly 30-40 minutes to choose a spot, dig a hole, and begin laying her eggs. Only when the turtle was in labor did he gently approach, standing behind to measure and mark the individual turtle. He waited for the turtle to leave before approaching the nest. "Each mother turtle usually lays between 80 and 120 eggs. Each nest represents a whole generation. If startled by a strange light, the turtle will abandon laying and return to the sea," he explained.

Preserving life, loving means knowing how to give.

In the early years, before fully understanding the rules and characteristics of reproduction, Mr. Vung discovered that naturally hatched turtle eggs on the beach had a very low survival rate due to unstable temperatures, flooding, and damage from wild animals and humans. From then on, he was one of the pioneers in proposing and directly implementing the artificial incubation model. After being taken from the nest, the eggs are brought to the incubation area, placed in artificial incubation pits with appropriate temperature and humidity, and fitted with monitoring equipment. Thanks to this, the hatching rate reaches 80-90%, producing healthy baby turtles. “Each egg is a chance to live; we cannot be careless. Any turtles showing signs of weakness after hatching are actively resuscitated and cared for before being released into the sea,” he said.

Engineer Nguyen Van Vinh and volunteers take care of the artificial egg incubation area.

At night, he and volunteers patrol to protect the turtles' nesting sites, marking and recording the eggs, and transporting them to artificial incubation areas. During the day, he cares for the incubation pits, monitors the hatching times to "assist" the hatchlings back to the sea, and cleans and restores the sandy beaches. The work is repetitive, but he never feels bored. From a few dozen mother turtles in the early years, now thousands of mother turtles come ashore each year, and hundreds of thousands of hatchlings are released back into the sea. Con Dao has become a shining example of sea turtle conservation in Vietnam.

But challenges remain due to climate change increasing sand temperatures, floating plastic waste, and coastal fishing nets threatening adult turtles. “Once, it took us two hours to untangle a net from a mother turtle. It was severely injured in its fin; we had to bandage it before releasing it back into the sea. Watching it swim away slowly, I felt both pity and worry, wondering if it would survive in the ocean, and hoping it would have enough strength to return so we could care for it and help it recover,” he recounted.

Engineer Nguyen Van Vinh and volunteers relocated the turtle eggs to an artificial incubation area.

Beyond conservation, Mr. Vung is also an inspiring figure, sharing his knowledge and raising awareness of the responsibility to conserve marine life and keep the marine environment clean. He participates in training for many conservation areas in provinces and cities across the country to share his experience and practical skills in marine animal and plant conservation, and to establish a model for managing and monitoring artificial turtle egg incubation. Every year, thousands of tourists participate in the "Night Turtle Egg Laying" ecotourism tour of Con Dao National Park, which he personally guides. His slow, experienced storytelling leaves many speechless when they see the mother turtle shedding tears while laying her eggs.

“Many children, after watching the turtles lay eggs, said, ‘I won’t litter in the sea anymore.’ That alone makes me happy for a whole week,” he smiled. For him, each person understanding a little more means one less threat to the sea and one less threat to the marine environment. International cooperation in sea turtle conservation has been actively promoted by Con Dao National Park for many years. Many delegations of foreign experts, scientists, and volunteers who came to learn about the conservation of sea turtles have received dedicated guidance and experience sharing from Mr. Vung. Many even call him a “living encyclopedia” on the behavior of Vietnamese sea turtles, contributing significantly to international organizations recognizing Con Dao National Park as a leading unit in sea turtle conservation in Vietnam and internationally.

Engineer Nguyen Van Vinh's greatest joy is seeing, every morning, as the sun shines on the sand, baby turtles stretch their bodies and crawl towards the sea, beginning their journey of survival. "The sea taught me that sometimes love isn't about keeping, but about giving," he said. We left Bay Canh Island, leaving behind the days we spent with him on the sandy beaches. Behind us, Mr. Vinh still stood silently gazing out at the sea, his eyes filled with hope. The green turtles swam further and further away, carrying with them the hope of rebirth. His quiet dedication and enthusiasm, so simple amidst the sea and sky of Con Dao, are contributing to keeping the ocean forever blue.

    Source: https://www.qdnd.vn/phong-su-dieu-tra/cuoc-thi-nhung-tam-guong-binh-di-ma-cao-quy-lan-thu-17/ba-do-cua-cac-me-rua-1019950