Since 2011, Hon Mun Sea Conservation Zone, the first sea preservation project in Vietnam was officially established. The project was implemented by the Ministry of Aquaculture, the People Committee of Khanh Hoa Province and IUCN- the International Union for Conservation of Nature. The project was funded by World Environmental Organization via World Bank, Royal Government of Denmark via DANIDA and IUCN, plus supporting capital of Vietnam Government.
Hon Mun Sea Conservation Zone is situated in Nha Trang bay including Hon Tre, Hon Mieu, Hon Tam, Hon Mot, Hon Mun, Hon Cau, Hon Vung, Hon Rom, Hon Ngoc islands and surrounding water. The conservation zone has a total area of about 160 km2 with 38 km2 of land and 122 km2 of water around the islands.
The project aims to “preserve a typical model of sea variety of international importance in danger “and achieve the targets “assist residential community on the islands improve living standard and co-operate with functional agencies to protect and manage effectively marine species diversity at Hon Mun Sea Conservation Area, forming a good example on effective association and management for Vietnam’s Sea Preservation Zones”.
Results from survey on marine species diversity at Sea Conservation Zone indicates that Hon Mun owns the most rich and abundant coral reef in Vietnam. It has international stature because it has the same quantity of species as in India-Pacific region. Moreover, 340 out of over 800 coral species in the world were found here.