VIETNAM has banned scuba diving and swimming at a popular central tourist spot in an attempt to revive its damaged coral reefs, said officials today.

The communist nation boasts more than 3,200km of coastline with crystal clear waters, vibrant sea life and sandy beaches that are a huge tourism draw.

Coral reefs have been badly hit by global warming across Southeast Asia, with scientists warning their degradation can have devastating economic and environmental knock-on effects.

Recent photos taken off Hon Mun island – about 14km from Nha Trang and popular with divers thanks to its diverse ecosystem – showed the reef bleached and damaged.

“The Nha Trang bay management authority decided to halt scuba diving and swimming activities in areas around Hon Mun island,” said officials.

They said the ban is to “evaluate the condition of sensitive area, so an appropriate plan to enact the sea conservation area” can be made.

The ban, effective from today, will last “until further notice”, they added.

Around 60% of the coastal bed in the area was covered by living coral in 2020, according to state media, but recent findings showed that figure has shrunk to less than 50%.

Local authorities previously blamed the shrinking ecosystem on climate change, noting that powerful storms damaged the coral in 2019 and 2021.

They also blamed dredging, illegal fishing, industrial park construction and waste disposal.

Divers expressed anger over the decision to close the waters.

“Diving and swimming activities have the least influence on the coral reefs compared with other activities,” said diver Nguyen Son from Ho Chi Minh City.

“The ecosystem (around Hon Mun) should have recovered after two years of pandemic,” said diver Trinh Ngoc Sang.

“Fishing vessels without proper management came in and destroyed the sea bed,” he added, recalling the sight of rubbish and dead coral during a recent dive.

“It will take dozens of years for the coral to be restored, so they want to close it throughout?”

The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warned that 4.5 million people in Southeast Asia and the Indian Ocean region may be affected by damaged coral reefs.

The reefs support about 25% of marine biodiversity.

Thailand also made a similar move, restricting access to Maya Bay – immortalised in the Leonardo DiCaprio movie The Beach – to give the local ecosystem a chance to recover. – AFP, June 27, 2022.