Touch the breath of the ocean: The journey of sea turtle conservation of a Tay Ninh boy

After incubating the sea turtle eggs, I asked and found out that his name was Quoc Thai - a young man from Tay Ninh . That night, amidst the breath of the ocean, I met a young man whose heart beat in sync with the sea.

Nguyen Van Quoc Thai (28 years old) is a sea turtle conservation volunteer of IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature), participating in supporting at Hon Bay Canh Station (Con Dao National Park, Ho Chi Minh City). The volunteer trip lasted 12 days in mid-June 2025 and this was the first time he participated in the program.

Like other young people, Quoc Thai is passionate about experience and discovery , but among many interesting options out there, he chose sea turtle conservation, going to what is considered the most difficult place among sea turtle conservation sites in Vietnam - Hon Bay Canh. He shared: "I learned about the program, felt it was very meaningful so I decided to register to participate. This is probably one of the most valuable experiences in my life."

Hành trình bảo tồn rùa biển của chàng trai xứ nắng Tây Ninh - Ảnh 1. — Quoc Thai supports the protection of sea turtle nests about to hatch

Sleepless nights watching turtles lay eggs

Sea turtles are quite shy by nature, especially sensitive to light and moving objects. Those who guard turtles laying eggs often limit the use of lights, only using red light when necessary, and all actions must be careful to avoid affecting the process of the mother turtle digging the nest and laying eggs. Therefore, working with someone as careful and gentle as Thai brings a sense of trust and peace of mind.

Hành trình bảo tồn rùa biển của chàng trai xứ nắng Tây Ninh - Ảnh 2. — Thai is always careful...

There were nights when turtles came to lay eggs in large numbers, two people guarded 1/4 of the beach, and in the area we were in charge of, there were 5 or 6 mother turtles coming to dig nests at the same time. Each person had to watch over this mother turtle's eggs and constantly check on the status of the other mother turtles.

Hành trình bảo tồn rùa biển của chàng trai xứ nắng Tây Ninh - Ảnh 3. — ...and gentle in the rescue process of relocating sea turtle egg nests

Quoc Thai was calm and proficient in rescuing and moving the nests, so we coordinated very well. After collecting the turtle eggs, I was drenched in sweat despite the cool sea breeze. I was exhausted. As for Thai - still smiling, still telling the story as if the joy had erased all the fatigue: "The nest I just collected was very deep, the mother turtle was big so she dug a very deep hole, I thought I wouldn't be able to get it, I planned to put a stake to mark it to get it later, but then I thought I'd better hold on a little longer, I jumped down, I thought I would fall into the hole, I had to brace myself to hold on, it was even more tiring than going to the gym". Although I couldn't see his face clearly, but hearing his voice, I could imagine his eyes filled with pride and joy for successfully rescuing the nests. It wasn't just the joy of completing the mission, but also the affection he had for the mother turtles and the nests.

Hành trình bảo tồn rùa biển của chàng trai xứ nắng Tây Ninh - Ảnh 4.

Hành trình bảo tồn rùa biển của chàng trai xứ nắng Tây Ninh - Ảnh 5.

Quoc Thai is passionate about experience and discovery, but among the many interesting options out there, he chose sea turtle conservation.

PHOTO: PROVIDED BY THE AUTHOR

Hành trình bảo tồn rùa biển của chàng trai xứ nắng Tây Ninh - Ảnh 6. — For Thai, being in close contact with mother turtles is a blessing.

"The turtle mothers are so beautiful, sister! I feel lucky to be in close contact with them, to hear their breathing, to smell the ocean scent on them. Can you smell it?", he whispered while lying next to the turtle mothers, trying to lower his voice so that his voice could blend in with the sound of the waves, avoiding being detected. I smiled in the dark. How much must one love turtles and the ocean to be able to hear and smell their breath! It was not his cleverness, but the love and care he had for each turtle mother that moved me. Perhaps it was this affection, for an ancient animal like the sea turtle, that helped us, the conservation staff and volunteers, overcome our limits, staying up every night to watch the turtle mothers lay eggs, even though we were exhausted but still very happy.

Cherish every life

"Oh my gosh, so cute!", Thai was excited when he first saw the baby turtles emerging from the sand. The newly hatched baby turtles were quite small, with a shell length of only about 4 - 5 cm and a weight of about 30 grams. This adorable littleness made the young man from sunny Tay Ninh unable to hide his smile. Every night, at the beginning and end of his shift, he often "sneaked" into the turtle incubation pond to check if any baby turtles had emerged from the nest, so that he could release them back into the sea that night.

Hành trình bảo tồn rùa biển của chàng trai xứ nắng Tây Ninh - Ảnh 7. — Cherish and release baby turtles back to the sea

Knowing that the survival rate of baby turtles to adulthood is only 1/1000, Thai pays special attention to the incubation technique to ensure the highest possible hatching rate. After 45 - 60 days, the eggs will hatch and the baby turtles will emerge from the sand. At that time, the staff and volunteers will release them back into the sea, to start their wild life where they belong.

"It's amazing! These tiny turtles, after 20-30 years, if they are lucky enough to survive, will return to their birthplace to lay eggs and continue their journey of survival," Quoc Thai affectionately looked at the baby turtles running towards the sea. "Every time I see them swimming towards the sea, I always feel admiration, mixed with a little fear. Each small step seems to contain the resilience of hundreds of millions of years of this ancient animal, there is worry but also full of hope, right sister?", the early morning sunlight made his eyes slightly narrow, sparkling with emotion.

Hành trình bảo tồn rùa biển của chàng trai xứ nắng Tây Ninh - Ảnh 9. — Thai and IUCN volunteers

The storyteller has charm

"The volunteer days in Bay Canh helped me understand more about sea turtles and the world of wildlife, feel the magical beauty and value of nature. I know that I am just an individual, but I want to contribute to nature conservation and environmental protection, by doing things within my ability," Quoc Thai confided about his decision to share stories of sea turtle conservation on social networking platforms.

Working in the media sector, Thai is confident that he can use his strengths and skills to bring conservation stories to the community, spreading positive messages to help people understand more about sea turtles, wildlife and the tireless efforts of the authorities and nature lovers at home and abroad.

In just a few months, Thai's TikTok channel "Salmon or Go" has attracted tens of millions of views, along with millions of interactions - proving that young people are truly interested in nature, if someone tells them with all their heart. "This is also the motivation for me to continue sharing images, videos, stories about sea turtles, about the wonders of nature with the community," Thai confided.

For many people, the volunteer program has ended, but for Quoc Thai, the journey of participating in wildlife conservation and nature conservation is still continuing and there will be a long way ahead, where he can use his abilities, enthusiasm and sincerity of youth, to add his voice and actions to spread and inspire everyone.

Quoc Thai is not a hero. He is just a simple, ordinary young man, but by living kindly and responsibly towards nature, loving and acting every day for other lives, he has made this world warmer, gentler and greener - even just a little, but it is meaningful and extremely precious.