Midwife of hundreds of turtle mothers

The opportunity came to Binh in 2025, when Con Dao National Park was recruiting contract staff. Without hesitation, Binh applied and packed her backpack to the island following the call of the turtles, and then became the first female staff member of Con Dao National Park.

Because of love!

That is the only reason why Ha Bao Binh chose the job of sea turtle conservation - or as she jokingly calls herself "the midwife of turtle mothers". Bare feet, sandy body, busy appearance but a bright smile when talking about sea turtles - that is the impression of anyone who comes into contact with Binh.

Bà đỡ của hàng trăm mẹ rùa - Ảnh 1. — Aquarius and a mother turtle laying eggs

One sunny summer morning, I was lucky enough to set foot on Bay Canh Island, the sign "Turtle Maternity Hospital" right at the entrance immediately impressed me and many visitors. Bay Canh is the island with the most sea turtles laying eggs in Vietnam - a place with an ecosystem of mangrove forests, corals, and many rare species of flora and fauna.

Unlike normal work, when night falls on Hon Bay Canh is when the real work of Binh and the conservation officers begins.

Bà đỡ của hàng trăm mẹ rùa - Ảnh 2. — Close-up of a mother turtle laying eggs

"Mother turtles usually come up to lay eggs at night, when the tide is high. So my shift is not fixed, but depends on the tide. On average, 10-12 mother turtles come up to lay eggs each night. But there are also record nights when up to 28 mother turtles come up." Binh's voice was very soft, blending into the quiet night. On the long sandy beach, there were no lights coming from anywhere, only the moonlight slanting above the forest trees - that light was just enough to clearly see the white sand strip close to the water's edge. I groped my way along the sand, trying to walk quietly following Binh. When we got near a clump of wild pineapple trees, Binh signaled for me to lie down on the sand like her. That was when my eyes gradually got used to the darkness and I could see with my own eyes a mother turtle laying eggs right in front of me.

Bà đỡ của hàng trăm mẹ rùa - Ảnh 3. — Sand beach at Hon Bay Canh - Aquarius' favorite workplace

Binh always uses the word "miracle" when talking about the turtle mothers who come to lay eggs in Bay Canh. Sea turtles are ancient animals that have existed on Earth for more than 100 million years. However, climate change on Earth, in addition to the destruction and theft of turtle eggs by humans and other animals, has led to a serious decline in the number of sea turtles worldwide . That is why Binh's hands, the staff of Con Dao National Park and volunteers are needed.

Watching turtles lay eggs, waiting for them to fill the sand hole and then digging deep into the sand to retrieve the eggs and move them to the incubation pond - that has been Binh's familiar job for more than half a year now. Each turtle shift usually lasts 4-6 hours, sometimes staying up all night. "I'm scared, especially in the first days of work when I have to watch turtles alone under the sand, surrounded by darkness and silence, sometimes even a small sound like the rustling of leaves in the wind, or the sound of birds can startle me", Binh shared about the first days of taking the job. However, that fear is nothing compared to the joy and meaning that the job brings to Binh. "During the time I was on duty at the beach watching the turtles, I could lie on the sand and watch the Milky Way in the sky, the moonlight on the water, and listen to the wind and the breathing of the mother turtles. And the feeling of getting eggs under the sand felt like I was digging up a treasure, or the moment I opened the bamboo basket and saw hundreds of baby turtles crawling up to the ground, which always made me feel fresh and excited."

Bao Binh said that during the 2025 breeding season, Hon Bay Canh successfully rescued and relocated more than 1,700 turtle egg nests. In return for that number were countless sleepless nights for Binh and his teammates.

Bà đỡ của hàng trăm mẹ rùa - Ảnh 4. — Releasing baby turtles into the sea

There are days when everything is sand from head to toe.

On rough sea days, Hon Bay Canh can be in a state of 3 no's: no electricity, no phone signal, no internet. Rain and humidity are also ideal conditions for the eyes - a small insect but its bite is very itchy, the more you scratch, the more itchy and poisonous it becomes, causing swelling and inflammation. These days, Binh and his brothers' work here is also more difficult: "Some days when a storm comes suddenly, we don't have time to bring raincoats, we have to use our coats to cover the eggs, we get soaked but the egg basket is always dry. When it's sunny and dry, it's easy to get the eggs, when it rains, from head to toe, even in the mouth, there's sand."

However, the nearly 1km long sandy beach in front of the station has never been empty of Binh's footprints every night, regardless of whether it is a clear or rainy day. The night shift ends when it is almost dawn, Binh just takes a nap to continue his work during the day. "In the morning when there are no mother turtles coming to lay eggs, my job is to welcome groups of visitors who come to visit, experience releasing baby turtles into the sea, and explain to them the meaning of sea turtle conservation activities," Binh said.

Bà đỡ của hàng trăm mẹ rùa - Ảnh 5. — Taking turtle eggs and moving them to artificial incubation ponds is hard work on rainy days.

Thanks to media activities, in recent years, more and more domestic and foreign tourists have learned about the experience of watching turtles lay eggs and releasing baby turtles into the sea in Con Dao. All the fatigue from work seems to disappear when Binh enthusiastically explains to guests and guides them to release baby turtles.

Bao Binh said she has been in Bay Canh for 6 months, every morning personally releasing thousands of baby turtles into the sea, but she has never ceased to be moved when witnessing the moment when the baby turtles eagerly rush into the waves because the survival rate of baby turtles when they reach adulthood is only 1/1000. "However, if that baby turtle lives to reproductive age, about 30 years later, it will return to this sandy beach of Bay Canh to lay eggs," Binh optimistically shared an interesting habit of sea turtles. That is also one of the reasons why Binh chose this challenging and difficult job, contributing a small part to the conservation of this special animal species of the planet.

Keep up the good work

Anyone who follows Binh's social media page can see how much she cares for sea turtles. Binh's job has days off and even vacation days, but most of the time Binh doesn't want to go anywhere far. Unlike many other young people who like bustling places or can't take their eyes off the phone screen, Binh only feels truly peaceful when in Bay Canh, near baby turtles and mother turtles. In her free time, Binh takes the opportunity to make videos and upload photos telling stories about sea turtles with the hope that each view or share will help more people know the importance and significance of preserving sea turtles and nature.

Bà đỡ của hàng trăm mẹ rùa - Ảnh 6. — An albino "baby turtle" from the special ICU room on Hon Bay Canh

At the end of September, Binh's work contract expired, but with a strong urge from her heart, she extended it for another 3 months to continue her passion. "People may see themselves as working to conserve sea turtles, but deep inside, it seems that I and the people doing this work are also being healed by the mother turtles, baby turtles and nature." Binh shared about the feeling of peace and love she receives from her work.

At the end of September, Binh happily showed off a special project of hers and the volunteers: ICU - I See You - a special recovery room from the idea of giving more hope and opportunities to young eggs or weak turtles, so that no one is left behind. "There have been many baby turtles 'discharged' from this ICU room full of love and returned to the sea in a healthy, courageous and confident state," Binh proudly said when talking about this meaningful little project.

With his love for sea turtles and his special job, Binh not only contributes to nature conservation but also inspires green living to many young people and tourists. From that seed of hope and love, many sweet fruits have grown, quietly spreading fragrance to make life greener.