On the afternoon of July 19, Mr. Le Dai Duong - Chairman of Bac Nha Trang Ward People's Committee - said that the Ward People's Committee had issued a decision to sanction administrative violations against 2 tourists from Dong Nai related to illegal coral exploitation.
According to the penalty decision, Mr. V.V.B. (50 years old) and Mr. V.V.Y. (62 years old, both residing in Dong Nai City) were fined 25 million VND each for illegally exploiting coral at Hon Chong beach with a volume of 5kg to 10kg, not ensuring the conditions according to regulations for group II in the list of endangered aquatic species.
At a meeting with functional agencies, these two admitted that they did not know that the coral area in Hon Chong sea was being strictly protected and prohibited from encroachment. After swimming in the sea, both had actions that affected coral, affected the ecosystem and caused public outrage.
According to the Nha Trang Bay Management Board, the total mass of coral that the two tourists broke is more than 10kg. These corals belong to the Acropora coral coral line, commonly known as small thorny coral.
Previously, on the evening of July 18, dozens of posts with images reflecting a group of about 10 tourists after swimming in the sea broke corals in Hon Chong beach area, put them in nylon bags or held them in their hands and took them away appeared on Facebook.
These images quickly spread, attracting public attention. Many opinions expressed outrage at the act of coral encroachment and proposed that functional agencies handle it strictly to increase deterrence and protect the marine ecosystem.
