Anh is a Senior Booking Officer for Japan here at The Learning Adventure, based in our Ho Chi Minh City office. Recently, she embarked on a week-long volunteer project at Nui Chua National Park, which focused on sea turtle rescue and conservation efforts.
Read on below for Anh’s recap of her fantastic week.
I spent an entire week from May 10 to 17 participating in a volunteering program at Nui Chua National Park, Ninh Thuan, Vietnam, and it turned out to be one of the best week of my life.
The program, which focuses on Sea Turtle Rescue and Conservation at Ninh Hai Sea in Ninh Thuan, is organized annually by the management board of Nui Chua National Park. It runs from the beginning of May to the end of September, coinciding with the nesting season for sea turtles in the area.
Through the program, I learned so many fascinating things about sea turtles. For instance:
- They’ve existed on Earth since the time of dinosaurs, and their physical features have remained largely unchanged over hundreds of millions of years.
- The sex of hatchlings is determined by the temperature of the sand during incubation, and female sea turtles instinctively return to the same beach where they hatched to lay their eggs.
However, the most striking fact I learned is that only about 1/1000 hatchlings survive to adulthood due to threats like predators, environmental hazards, and human activity, making conservation efforts critical. Of the 7 species of sea turtles on Earth, 3 have been recorded nesting in Ninh Hai. 2023 marked a record year, with 23 nesting turtles on the beach.
For the week, I stayed at the volunteer house called ‘Hero House’, which is built on rocks and has limited access to fresh water, internet nor phone network connection. For a week, we cooked and showered using brackish water. My main responsibility was midnight walking on the beach to check for nesting turtles. During the day, I collected garbage along the beach. Typically, volunteers also teach summer classes for local children, but since their summer vacation hadn’t started yet, we had free time to explore the breathtaking landscapes of the region.
We visited mangrove forests, My Nghiep Weaving Village, Bau Truc Pottery Village, one of the oldest pottery villages in Southeast Asia, dined with locals, and so much more. On my last day, I helped organize an event hosted by Amanoi Resort Vinh Hy, which included games and simple educational lessons for students of 2 local elementary schools about the importance of protecting the marine environment and learning about sea animals.
I’m sad that I was not lucky enough to see any sea turtles nesting during the week, but it remains an amazing experience. Our group consisted of 5 girls from different regions of Vietnam. Despite our differences in age and major, we shared a common dream of traveling and making a positive impact on our communities. It felt like fate brought us together for this inspiring week.
I was particularly moved by Chị Nga, who manages the volunteers at Hero House. Since 2018, she has dedicated half the year to supporting the program, guiding weekly volunteers, immersing us in local culture, and showing us the hidden beauty of the area. Her warmth and dedication made the experience all the more fulfilling.
I feel blessed that I joined this program!
