Photo courtesy of VietNamNet Global / Khanh Hoa Provincial Police

Two men have been fined a combined VND50 million (about US$1,920) after breaking off more than 10 kilograms of protected coral from a marine conservation zone at Hon Chong Beach in Nha Trang, Khanh Hoa Province.

What happened

The case came to light after photos began circulating on social media showing a group of visitors carrying large pieces of coral along Hon Chong Beach. Local residents reported the images to authorities, triggering an investigation by police and the Nha Trang Bay Management Board.

Investigators traced the group to a hotel on Bac Son Street and identified ten visitors staying there together. Two of them, identified by their initials V.V.B. and V.V.Y. and both from Trang Bom in Dong Nai province, were found to have personally broken off and collected the coral. The group had travelled from Dong Nai for a holiday and visited Hon Chong Beach to swim on the afternoon of 18 July, when the two men reportedly took the coral as souvenirs - later telling authorities they had not realised the area was a protected marine zone.

On 19 July, Bac Nha Trang Ward authorities fined each man VND25 million for illegally exploiting a protected aquatic species. The coral involved, roughly 10.5 kilograms of branching Acropora coral, is protected under both Vietnamese regulations on endangered aquatic species and Appendix II of CITES, the international convention on trade in endangered species.

The Nha Trang Bay Management Board said the Hon Chong reef covers about 11 hectares and includes coral colonies estimated to be five to ten years old. Authorities set up a temporary protection zone covering the wider Hon Chong-Dang Tat coastal area from May to August this year specifically to support the reef's recovery, and say they have repeatedly warned kayak operators and visitors to stay out of protected reef areas.

What it means for foreigners in Vietnam

The two men fined in this case are Vietnamese nationals, not foreign tourists - so this isn't a story about foreigners being caught out. But the law itself makes no such distinction: Vietnam's rules against entering protected coral reef and seagrass zones, or removing marine life from them, apply equally to any visitor, local or foreign.

For expats and tourists planning a trip to Nha Trang or other Vietnamese coastal resorts, the case is a useful reminder that souvenir-hunting on reefs and beaches can carry real legal and financial consequences, particularly in areas marked as temporary or permanent marine conservation zones. Fines here ran to nearly $1,000 per person - and, as this case shows, a photo posted to social media can be enough to trigger a police investigation.

20 July 2026

Good to see action taken.