A night with the turtles on Bay Canh

Sleep at a ranger station on a forested island, wait on the dark beach for a green turtle to come ashore, and help release hatchlings into the sea at dawn.

Area

Con Dao

Start from

Con Son town, Con Dao

Distance

about 10 km by boat

Time needed

overnight

Best season

Nesting roughly May – October, busiest in the middle months

Difficulty

Moderate

Transport

National park boat or licensed tour boat

Tickets & rules

National park permission and guide required; book ahead

Why go

Con Dao is the most important nesting site for sea turtles in Vietnam, and the island of Hòn Bảy Cạnh is at the heart of it. In the nesting season, the national park runs a small number of overnight visits, where you stay at the ranger station, eat simple food with the staff and go out with them after dark to watch females come ashore to lay eggs.

It is not a show. Some nights you wait for hours and see nothing; other nights a huge green turtle drags herself up the sand, digs her nest with slow sweeps of her flippers and lays a hundred or so eggs, ignoring the small group standing silently in the dark behind her.

In the early morning, if a nest has hatched, you may be allowed to help release the hatchlings, watching them scramble towards the water and disappear into the waves. I have rarely felt so small and so lucky.

The story

Con Dao National Park was established in 1993 and protects both forest and sea around the islands, including coral reefs, seagrass beds and turtle nesting beaches. Green turtles make up most of the nests, with occasional hawksbills, and the park has run a conservation programme for decades, moving vulnerable nests to protected hatcheries and tagging females.

A female green turtle returns to nest on the beaches where she was born, often after decades at sea, and may lay several clutches in one season, a couple of weeks apart. The eggs incubate in the warm sand for around two months, and the temperature of the sand helps decide whether hatchlings become male or female.

Only a tiny fraction of hatchlings survive to adulthood, which is why each nest matters. Rangers patrol the beaches at night during the season, counting, measuring and protecting, and the visitor programme helps fund the work and build support for conservation.

The project has also involved international partners over the years, and Con Dao’s results are often cited as one of Vietnam’s conservation success stories, though threats such as fishing nets, plastic and climate change remain.

Getting there

Overnight trips are arranged through the national park office in Con Son town or through licensed tour operators. Places are limited and depend on the season and weather, so contact them well in advance.

Boats leave from Con Son in the afternoon and return the next morning; the crossing takes around an hour, depending on the sea.

A suggested plan

1. AfternoonBoat to Hòn Bảy Cạnh; settle in at the ranger station, swim or walk on the beach.
2. EveningSimple dinner with the rangers; briefing on how to behave on the beach.
3. NightWait quietly for nesting turtles; follow the ranger’s lead and use only red lights.
4. DawnIf hatchlings are ready, help release them under supervision.
5. MorningBoat back to Con Son, tired and happy.

Where to stay

The night is spent at the ranger station on Hòn Bảy Cạnh, with basic rooms or dormitories. Before and after, stay in Con Son town.

Good to know

• Bring a torch with a red filter, insect repellent and a light jacket for the night.
• Pack only what you need in a waterproof bag; the boat may be wet.
• Be patient; sightings are never guaranteed.