Ly Son District (Quang Ngai Province) is establishing records and completing procedures to submit to the Vietnam Record Organization to recognize the two whale skeletons at Lang Tan as the largest in Vietnam.

Two whale skeletons measuring over 22m and 18m in length have been restored for tourists to visit in Ly Son island district. (Photo: Pham Cuong/VNA)

Fishermen in Vietnam's coastal areas in general and Ly Son island district (Quang Ngai) in particular have a culture of worshipping Whales to express gratitude and pray for the islanders to be safe from the storms of the open sea and to exploit many products from the sea.

That is why on Ly Son island there are dozens of whale tombs.

At Lang Tan relic (Dong An Vinh village), in 2020, Ly Son district completely restored the two largest whale skeletons on the island, dating back over 200 years.

According to researchers, these are the two largest intact whale skeletons in Vietnam. The larger one, over 22m long, is called "Dong Dinh Dai Vuong," the smaller one, 18m long, is called "Duc Ngu Nhi Vi Ton Than" by the locals.

Each set of jade bones consists of 50 vertebrae, the head bone is 4m high, the ivory bone is 4.7m long. Since 2021, after being restored, the two whale skeletons at Lang Tan and the whale worship ritual have been exploited by Ly Son district to become a new and unique tourism product serving visitors to Ly Son island.

The large skull of a whale. (Photo: Pham Cuong/VNA)

According to the Department of Culture and Information of Ly Son district, in 2023, 150,000 visitors came to visit Lang Tan and see two sets of whale bones. Most visitors were delighted to hear stories about whales and see with their own eyes the two largest whale skeletons in Vietnam preserved on the island district.

Mr. Nguyen Hoang Than, a tourist from Hanoi, said that the first time he came to Ly Son district, he visited many mysterious relics and landscapes. His family was most impressed with the two whale skeletons preserved by the island district.

For a long time, he only knew about whales through television, but now he got to see one with his own eyes. This family trip to Ly Son was very meaningful, Mr. Than shared.

Nguyen Trung, a tourist from Hue, said that Ly Son district has come up with a new way of recreating the giant whale skeletons in the exhibition house to serve visitors. This is a new and very attractive tourism product.

Chairwoman of the People’s Committee of Ly Son District, Pham Thi Huong, said that whale worship is a unique cultural belief of coastal fishermen. Ly Son District is very fortunate because it is managing and protecting two very large whale skeletons.

The district has built an exhibition house and restored two skeletons so that people have a place to practice their beliefs; at the same time, it has introduced to tourists the island's unique tourism products.

Ly Son district is establishing records and completing procedures to submit to the Vietnam Record Organization to recognize the two whale skeletons at Lang Tan as the largest in Vietnam./.