Close-up of whale skeleton weighing about 15 tons kept in Bac Lieu

Lang Ong Duyen Hai (located in Vinh Lac hamlet, Vinh Thinh commune, Hoa Binh district, Bac Lieu province), is more than 10km from the center of Bac Lieu city towards Cai Cung culvert. Here, a whale skeleton (also known as a whale) is preserved, 16m long, 10m around the waist, and estimated to weigh about 15 tons.

Mr. Tran Van Ven (81 years old, has been taking care of Ong Duyen Hai's tomb for 13 years) is a witness and a member of Ong Duyen Hai's tomb management board. He recounted that at around 9:00 a.m. on February 22, 2010 (January 9, Canh Dan year), fishermen organized drums, trumpets, flags and lion dances to bring the whale that had been stranded into Cai Cung estuary.

The entrance to Ong Duyen Hai tomb (Vinh Thinh commune, Hoa Binh district, Bac Lieu province), located near Cai Cung sluice.

“After a day and night of salvage, on the morning of October 22, 2010, fishermen brought the whale about 26 nautical miles from Cai Cung beach (Vinh Thinh commune, Hoa Binh district) to the mainland, with dozens of boats following each other to bring the whale to shore.

After that, the local authorities used two large cranes to lift the whale's body onto the open grave. Medical staff sprayed chemicals to remove the whale's foul smell.

Next, the local people and authorities organized the burial of Mr. Nam Hai (skin and internal organs) according to the traditional rituals of coastal fishermen," Mr. Ven recounted.

According to the local fishermen, Whale or “General of the South Sea” is very gentle, fishermen are very religious. Every fishing trip, they worship him for a smooth sailing trip.

At the same time, it shows the special belief of fishermen in coastal areas towards the god who protects and blesses fishermen during their fishing trips at sea. So when hearing the news that the whale was brought ashore, people from everywhere came to pay their respects.

Video: Close-up of the whale skeleton weighing about 15 tons at Ong Duyen Hai tomb (Bac Lieu).

“In the past, fishermen often saw the Whale at sea, or every time people were in trouble at sea, they called the Whale and the Whale emerged to save people, so fishermen here believed in and worshiped him.

Nowadays, people who go to sea rarely see whales, because of the many motorboats and nets. Up until now, I have never seen a whale as big as the whale that was caught by fishermen and brought to shore,” Mr. Ven added.

Every year, on the 8th, 9th and 10th of January (lunar calendar), the Whale Festival takes place at Ong Duyen Hai mausoleum. The 9th is the main day of the festival, because this is the day fishermen discovered the whale.

On February 8, 2023, the People's Committee of Hoa Binh district (Bac Lieu province) held the inauguration and put into operation Ong Duyen Hai tomb (a place to worship and preserve the largest whale skeleton in the Mekong Delta) in Vinh Lac hamlet, Vinh Thinh commune, Hoa Binh district.

Ong Duyen Hai Tomb was started on April 1, 2021 (January 9, Tan Suu year). After about 2 years of construction, the main item of Ong Duyen Hai Tomb was completed with an area of 512m2. The project cost about 1.8 billion VND from socialization and fishermen's contributions.

The construction and inauguration of Ong Duyen Hai Tomb contributes to promoting the unique cultural and religious values of fishermen in coastal areas. Thereby, creating a highlight of marine tourism in Hoa Binh district in particular and Bac Lieu province in general.

Some pictures of the whale skeleton weighing about 15 tons at Lang Ong Duyen Hai (Bac Lieu):

Whale head bone.

Whale fin bones.

Fin bones and bones near the head of the whale.

Mr. Tran Van Ven told the reporter about the time he discovered and brought the whale to shore.

Mr. Nam Hai's internal organs were buried according to the traditional rituals of coastal fishermen.

The whale skeleton is 16m long.

The vertebrae of the whale.

Whale's belly circumference is about 10m.

According to the local fishermen, Whale or "General of the South Sea" is very gentle, fishermen are very religious, every fishing trip they worship him for a smooth sailing trip.

At the same time, it shows the special beliefs of coastal fishermen towards the god who protects and blesses fishermen during their fishing trips at sea.