Whales, nicobar pigeons, and the downsides of tourism.

Bryde's whales (Balaenoptera edeni) have been sighted near the coast of Quy Nhon, Binh Dinh (now Gia Lai) since 2022, and this year is considered the closest sighting to shore; one can clearly see them using binoculars from the shore.

Báo Tuổi Trẻ•31/07/2025

Hundreds of photographers have flocked here in recent days to take pictures.

Whales are easily spotted, as hundreds of terns always circle overhead. These birds wait for the whales to open their mouths to swallow their prey—schools of small fish—then they swoop in to "steal" the food. Photo: CTV

Everything was very easy. Upon arriving in Quy Nhon, we rented a boat for around 1.2 million VND for two photo shoots: departing at 5 am and returning at 8 am, then going again at 4 pm and returning at 6 pm.

It only takes about 30 minutes by boat to reach the whale feeding spot. A boat can accommodate about 4 people to avoid overcrowding, and the cost is only around 300,000 VND per person.

Because it was so easy and cheap, photographers flocked there in such large numbers that drones were crashing into each other!

"I was only 3 meters away from the whale," "Wow, he surfaced just 1 meter from my boat!" were the joyful shouts of their achievement.

During a trip to Adelaide (Australia) more than a decade ago, an acquaintance of mine opened his phone and said, "Let's see if the whales are back today, we'll hop in the car and drive to Victor Harbour to see them."

And he exclaimed happily, "We're going home!" The whole group got in the car and drove for about an hour to the Victor Harbour area.

Thousands of people stood on the beach, some holding binoculars, others using cameras with huge telephoto lenses pointed out at the sea.

Even just watching with my own eyes, I felt a sense of exhilaration at the sight of the largest whale species – the humpback whale – swimming playfully, occasionally leaping into the air and then falling back down, splashing water everywhere.

Of course, the people in that region earn a decent income when humpback whales return from Antarctica during the whale season, selling food and drinks to serve tens of thousands of people.

What about Quy Nhon? For four consecutive years, whales have been coming close to the Quy Nhon coast during the summer, but it seems this event only creates a stir among photographers.

I firmly believe that if the tourism industry collaborates effectively with oceanographers , it would be entirely possible to organize whale-watching tours in the summer, and that would be very appealing and beneficial for children.

For example, whales are extremely sensitive species. So, if hundreds of photographers rent boats and try to get as close as possible to get high-quality photos, will that negatively impact them?

I don't know why, but as I sit here writing this on July 15th, I receive information from Binh Dinh that he hasn't been seen for two days!

Since 2022, Bryde's whales have repeatedly appeared in many coastal areas of Binh Dinh province. This year, in late June, the whales appeared very close to shore, remaining so until nearly mid-July. Photo: Nguyen Minh Tri

Look outside and see how people are behaving. The Fisheries Service of the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has guidelines for viewing marine life that stipulate boats are not allowed to approach whales within 100 meters.

When whales are spotted in the area, vessels must reduce their speed to around 18 km/h.

Stopping the boat and turning off the engine to observe whales within a range of more than 100 meters is limited to a maximum of 30 minutes. This applies to both Bryde's whales and humpback whales (both of which have also been sighted in Vietnamese waters).

Using drones to monitor whales requires a minimum altitude of 300 meters. For killer whales, however, approaching within 200 meters is strictly prohibited.

Looking back at the whales coming near the Quy Nhon coast, if there hadn't been a well-organized operation with strict regulations, they might have just left!

Two years ago, wildlife photographers were in a frenzy to photograph the Nicobar pigeon on Hon Tre Nho (Con Dao Island). The person leading the way for everyone to take pictures was none other than "bird expert" Bui Thanh Trung.

Back then, the total cost for the trip to photograph Nicobar was approximately 10 million VND, including airfare, boat rental from Con Dao to Hon Tre Nho, entrance fee to Con Dao National Park (50,000 VND), and 2 million VND as a tip for the guide.

This year, with the growing number of wildlife photographers and many new photographers, Trung received numerous requests to find Nicobar Island for photography. After two days of searching, Trung finally found it.

However, to make the photography trip more professional and organized as a well-structured tour with a win-win spirit, he worked with Con Dao National Park.

Determining what constitutes a "high, low, or fair price" in organizing wildlife photography tours requires careful and scientific calculation.

However, from a market perspective, the fee charged by Con Dao National Park was too high; no photographers wanted to participate, and Trung abandoned the idea of doing this tour.

For comparison: if you go to Phuket (Thailand) to photograph Nicobar pigeons, the total cost is similar to Con Dao, and it's much easier to photograph them.

For example, in Cuc Phuong National Park and Nam Cat Tien National Park – two places where wildlife photography services are organized by skilled professionals – the fee is 500,000 VND per person per day, and the National Park only takes 20-30% of that revenue.

Wildlife viewing and photography is a lucrative tourism industry worldwide , second only to luxury cruises and high-end resorts.

But in Vietnam, this field is only just beginning to develop and is lacking in many proper approaches.

"Many people in Southeast Asia still think that you have to go all the way to Australia, the US, or Japan to participate in whale-watching tours, but in fact, the waters around the region are also home to these marine mammals," wrote The Straits Times on Marine Mammal Protection Day, February 19.

Excluding Vietnamese waters, as of the end of last year, the Thai Department of Marine and Coastal Resources recorded 9 Bryde's whales in its waters, including 3 that were spotted in November 2024.

This whale species has also been recorded off the coasts of Indonesia and Brunei.

Conversely, their departure would indicate that the environment is no longer suitable, added Dr. Louisa Ponnampalam, co-founder of MareCet, a Malaysian marine mammal research and conservation organization.

According to The Straits Times, as a crucial indicator of ocean health, the presence of marine mammal species along highly urbanized coastlines such as Singapore and similar areas highlights the importance of understanding their ecosystems in order to enhance the effectiveness of future conservation efforts.

Once whales have called Southeast Asia home, don't let them get disappointed and leave.