The smell of the sun, the wind and the sea of Hon Cau has been a part of her life. And when she rushed to bring the turtles back to a safe place, her heart swelled with strange joy. These are the most honest confessions of Ms. Luu Yen Phi, currently working at Hon Cau Marine Protected Area.
Being a “midwife” for turtles
Hon Cau in May, the sea water is clear and blue, each wave is gently lapping against the sand. The southern monsoon season, which lasts from May to October, is also the breeding season for turtles. Hon Cau Marine Reserve is located on a corner of the island, standing here, you can hear the whispers of the waves, the wind and the sea caressing the white sand slopes. Ms. Luu Yen Phi is the only female employee of the Nature Reserve. 
Hon Cau Sea For many years, she and her brothers and sisters in the group participated in the work of the patrol team to prevent boats from fishing in the reserve. She shared: “In the breeding season, turtles will come up to lay eggs. There are 4-5 turtles on the island or up, so the brothers will divide to watch turtles to avoid people coming to catch them. Turtle eggs will be brought to the beaches. Incubate and observe. From 45 to 60 days, the baby turtles will hatch and be released into the sea.” 
Being a “midwife” for turtles is a job that needs a lot of love and enthusiasm. The first time from the mainland to the island, Ms. Phi was also “stunned” by the waves crashing on the side of the boat, or her skin was also darkened by the sun and wind of Hon Cau. But for a long time without going to the sea, she felt very “uncomfortable”. Because the smell of the sun, the wind, the passionate smell of Hon Cau sea has created an inseparable taste of life in her. 
Being a girl, participating in conservation work is somewhat more difficult. There are days when she is on duty on the island, she is alone and walking on the way from the station to the turtle spawning ground at 1 or 2 am. Where there is so much love yêu There are evenings, the whole team like “holding their breath” when following the turtle’s footsteps. The brothers waited for the turtles to lay their eggs and then brought the eggs back to the incubator. During the day, everyone will come together to clean up the trash and clean the sea. 
Yen Phi confided: “ Every time I go to the island, I feel happy and familiar. Those who buy rough seas, I don’t go to the island, I miss them very much. Unlike the mainland, the “house” on the island is just enough for basic living, eating and resting, not too comfortable. But it is the place to pack so many memories of my years here. The brothers also split up to cook and support each other.” 
The members of Hon Cau Marine Protected Area all have a lot of love for the sea and for the gentle turtles. “Here, people can live in harmony with nature. The process of caring for and taking care of turtles is also an emotional journey. Around 45 -60 days, when the turtle eggs are about to hatch, cracks will appear on the ground. . I have to gently use medical gloves to put the turtle in the basket. When it reaches adulthood, it will return to the place it was born to continue to reproduce.” Phi said more. Rescue journeys The reason why the group has to maintain the garbage collection at the beach is because there have been many cases of turtles swallowing plastic bags. When in the sea, plastic bags are shaped like strength, so turtles will choke if they eat them. Phi once witnessed turtles eat the wrong straw when pulling out a lot of blood. Or there are days when turtles get caught in fisherman’s nets and are transported to pubs, the group has to rush to “rescue”. 
She said: “ When I received news that turtles were being sold to pubs, I had to get there as quickly as possible to lobby them to release them. After receiving the turtle, the group will bring it back to the sea to release. For many years, people have been trying to do propaganda to people about the conservation of sea turtles.” Occasionally, the center receives cases of turtles being kept in freshwater for a long time by people. When the issue of conservation of sea turtles became known to many people, they automatically handed over the turtles. Phi shared: “I couldn’t release them into the sea, because they had lost their wild instincts and couldn’t hunt. The group had to release them into a big lake, bring salt water back to the turtles to get used to the salinity every day, and at the same time train them instincts. Depending on the case, from 3 to 6 months or 1 year, we can release them back to the sea.” 
Volunteers come to Hon Cau island every year There are more heartbreaking cases than when I saw a turtle eating the wrong straw, when I pulled the straw out, I lost a lot of blood. Turtles hitting explosives washed up on the beach, which were not intact or were butchered by people on boats and washed ashore. Experiencing difficulties, hardships and “suffocating” rescue journeys, but Phi and her teammates still maintain this work with enthusiasm. “In order for my children and grandchildren to know what turtles are like in the future. I don’t want them to only know “sea turtles” through books. “, she confided. Before accepting the interview with SAOStar, Phi was also embarrassed many times because “what I do is too small compared to the brothers”. However, we still believe that Phi and her silent dedication have also sketched a beautiful picture of Hon Cau sea, where a team to rescue and protect sea turtles is working day and night with all their heart. .
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