DIVE IN VIETNAM
"With a long coastline of over 3,000 km and 12 nautical miles in territorial waters, Viet Nam situates in a high biodiversity center of tropical oceans, possessing significant fisheries resources and marine ecosystems: mangroves, coral reefs and seagrass beds. Yet as Viet Nam has only developed a part of its potential marine economy, there has already been serious resources degradation and ocean pollution" – WWF.
At SDC, we thrive to provide the public with a glimpse of life as seen by our members during their dives along the coastline. Common dive locations include: Nha Trang, Phú Quốc, Cham Island and many more to explore.
Discover below why we love diving in Vietnam and the treasures that need protection.
If that convinced you to get your feet wet, check out our "How to get started" section for helping you select what's right for you.
Photo Gallery by SDC Members
Underwaterscapes
Boulder corals forming underwater mountains and valleys
Garden of soft coral
Forest of floating algae
Branching corals providing shelter to tropical fish
Common divable ecosystems
Nha Trang and Cam Ranh Bay
"Nha Trang Bay marine protected area was establishted in 2002 as a pilot initiative to enable adequate management of the reef communities, while providing opportunities for alternative income to the local community. A re-assessment [...] in 2002 and of an inventory performed in 2005 indicates a reasonable decline in hard coral structure in the marine protected area. The reef of Hon Mun, a core zone at the heart of the marine protected area and an attraction for underwater tourists, showed some recovery of the coral cover. Reefs in the buffer area of Hon Mieu and Hon Mot showed, on the contrary, great declines in the coral cover and abundance. These reefs are those most affected by human derived impacts, including urban run-off, mariculture, fishing, tourism, etc. The most distant reef, at Hon Tre, although formally a core zone, is allegedly under strong fishing pressure owing to lack of surveillance enforcement. The major impact, so far, seems to be a marked change in coral cover and species, especially in the deeper area." ¹
"A nonstructural reef at Hon Nai Island in Cam Ranh Bay (southern Vietnam) was investigated. In comparison with most of the coastal continental and island coral reefs of this region, it is characterized by high species richness of reef-building corals, among them scleractinians. A total of 34 species of Acropora were found, which represent 80% of the total species composition of this scleractinian genus on the reefs of Vietnam and 25% on the reefs of the Indo-Pacific." ²
¹ Le Doan Dung; Nha Trang Bay marine protected area, Vietnam: Initial trends in coral structure and some preliminary linkages between these trends and human activities (2002–2005). Aquatic Ecosystem Health & Management 24 September 2009; 12 (3): 249–257
² Latypov, Y.Y., Selin, N.I. The composition and structure of a protected coral reef in Cam Ranh Bay, Russian Journal of Marine Biology 38, 112–121 (2012)
Cham Islands
"The Cham Islands Marine Protected Area has an area of 5.175 ha of marine surface and includes about 311 ha of coral reefs, approx. 277 species of coral from 40 genus and 17 families; 500 ha of sea grass grounds; 270 species of marine fish from 105 genus, 40 families; five (5) species of lobsters; 97 species of mollusk and many other species with ecological, economic and seascape values." ¹
Local communities have been rehabilitating Gecarcoidea lalandii into the local fauna in order to introduce more sustainable harvesting practices of Cua Đá. The quotas and fishing rules have turned the marine resource from a low price commodity to a valuable touristic product. ¹
¹ Marine Biology & Wetland Conservation In Vietnam, October 2015
Phú Quốc
"The studies on coral bleaching were conducted at 21 sites of 4 reef areas in Southern Vietnam, using point transect technique in June–July 2019. Cover of hard corals in the selected sites was quite high with the average values of [...] 55.9 ± 17.8% in Phu Quoc island [...]. Soft corals were not abundant [...]. Hard corals were [...] least affected in Phu Quoc island (7.3 ± 9.05%). No bleached soft coral was recorded in Phu Quoc. At the genus level, Acropora corals were severely affected in [...] Phu Quoc island [...]. The Porites, Montipora, Millepora genera were quite vulnerable in all sites but no bleaching was observed for Galaxea and Diploastrea genera." ¹
¹ Hoang, Phan & Vo, Si Tuan & Thai, Quang & Dao, Hoc & Thai Tuyen, Hua. (2021). Bleaching of coral in Nha Trang, Ninh Thuan, Con Dao and Phu Quoc islands in June–July 2019. Tạp chí Khoa học và Công nghệ biển. 20. 55-60.
Why coral conservation?
Coral reefs play a critical role in the fight against climate change by providing important ecosystem services such as coastal protection, fish habitat, and carbon sequestration. They also support local coastal communities by providing food, income, and cultural value. However, coral reefs are facing many threats such as pollution, overfishing, and climate change, which are causing widespread coral bleaching and mortality. Coral conservation is critical in order to protect these valuable ecosystems and the people that depend on them. This can include measures such as protecting critical habitats, reducing pollution and overfishing, and promoting sustainable coastal development. Additionally, coral reef restoration and reef-based management strategies such as coral gardening and coral transplantation can help to conserve and restore coral reefs, and ultimately contribute to the sustainability of coastal communities.
To know more:
"What are corals?" on Bubbles & Lenses