In the past few days, scuba diving enthusiasts have posted information and pictures of the desolate undersea ecosystem of Hon Mun. Photos show dead coral covering an area of ​​hundreds of square meters. Observers said that they did not see fish there. A lot of dead coral had floated to the sea surface, and had been washed ashore by waves.

Hon Mun is more than 10 km from the mainland, located in the core area of ​​Nha Trang Bay of 160 km wide, which is strictly protected. This area is famous for its rich and diverse ecosystem with many coral spots. It also attracts visitors who come to see the ocean environment and scuba dive. 

Mr. Huynh Binh Thai, Head of the Nha Trang Bay Management Board, said the agency had been surveying the situation. He said that normally, the main cause of mass death of coral on the seabed is natural disasters. For example, after storm No. 12 in 2021, more than 80% of coral in this area was destroyed. Other factors like increasing global temperature, rainstorms and outbreaks of pests also have a heavy impact on ecosystem health.

However, these are difficult to control. The agency estimates it takes about 10 years to restore the coral reefs. The unit is coordinating with research institutes to assess, find out the causes and plan to restore and protect coral reefs in Hon Mun.

Dr. Nguyen Tac An, former director of Nha Trang Institute of Oceanography, told VietNamNet that the massive death of rare corals in Hon Mun is a “serious problem" because it takes a very long time, sometimes thousands of years, or even millions to form a coral reef. It is very difficult to restore dead coral reefs like the one in Hon Mun.

He said the reason given by the Nha Trang Bay Management Board is reasonable but it is impossible to blame only natural disasters and neglect the huge impact from people and the local economic development strategy. He stressed that "the ecosystem in Nha Trang Bay is suffering from great pressure from economic development”.

Dr. Hoang Xuan Ben, Deputy Director of the Nha Trang Institute of Oceanography said: "Currently, it is not possible to determine whether the decline in the ecosystem at the Hon Mun reserve is due to natural disasters or human causes."

Xuan Ngoc