36-year-old Zhang Xudong was recorded driving on top of the famous basalt rock formation on Lý Sơn Island.

QUẢNG NGÃI — Authorities in Lý Sơn Special Zone have formally documented a violation by a Chinese tourist who rode a motorbike across the protected Tò Vò Gate national monument after videos of the incident circulated widely on social media.

Nguyễn Văn Huy, Chairman of the People's Committee of Lý Sơn Special Zone (Quảng Ngãi Province), said on Wednesday that local authorities had ordered an investigation immediately after footage showed a man driving a motorcycle onto the basalt arch, a nationally protected scenic site in Tây An Vĩnh hamlet.

The video captured the rider leaving a concrete road and ascending the natural rock formation before crossing the arch itself. Witnesses can be heard shouting at the man to stop, warning of the danger of falling and the risk of damaging the monument.

Despite warning signs prohibiting visitors from climbing, walking or otherwise encroaching on the rock formation, the rider continued across the protected area.

Authorities later identified the individual as Zhang Xudong, born in 1990 and a Chinese national.

36-year-old Zhang Xudong during the working session with Lý Sơn local authorities.

During a later meeting with officials, Zhang admitted to the violation. Authorities recorded the incident in an official report, required him to sign a written commitment not to repeat the offence and issued a stern warning while explaining regulations governing the protection of cultural and natural heritage sites.

The Tò Vò Gate scenic site was recognised as a national monument by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in 2025. It is among Lý Sơn Island's best-known tourist attractions and is renowned for its striking natural basalt arch formed through ancient volcanic activity and thousands of years of coastal erosion.

Located on the western side of Lớn Island, the larger of Lý Sơn's two main islands, the arch measures approximately 9m in length and 2.5m in height.

Geologists attribute the formation of Tò Vò Gate to lava flows from volcanic eruptions millions of years ago. The basalt layers were later fractured and sculpted by rising sea levels about 6,000 years ago, before continued wave erosion hollowed out the weaker central rock, creating the distinctive arch seen today. — VNS