Tri Nguyen Island has a population of 3,000 who are mostly fishermen or those or own their own fish farms. Even though the number of visitors to Tri Nguyen is not as high as other islands but it is still located in Nha Trang Bay, a well-known destination for international tourists. Most of the rubbish was found at the port where fishing boats and tour boats operate.

"The rubbish is collected sometimes. The environmental organisations and youth union also clean up the place now and again. Recently, we have many large waves which brought even more rubbish to the port," a local said.

Nha Trang is among the most beautify bays in the world with a diverse marine ecosystem. However, it is also facing serious pollution which is driving visitors away from the beach. In late September, sewage was found to be discharged directly into the bay.

Nguyen Thuy Oanh, deputy head of Nha Trang Bay Management Board, said that in 2016, about two tonnes of rubbish from fish farms and tourism activities were discharged into the sea. Oanh said they had tried to raise public awareness.

Nguyen Xuan Binh, director of the Regional Maritime Search and Rescue Co-ordination Centre IV, also said rubbish discharged from tour boats, floating restaurants and fish farms were huge. There's no detail plan to deal with the situation yet asides from calling for public awareness. However, since the authorities can hardly monitor the boats, the owners can lie that they had dump rubbish on the island to avoid putting rubbish bins on boats.