Experts successfully restored two whale skeletons dating back more than 300 years in the Ly Son island district (Quang Ngai) and put them on display and introduced them to domestic and international tourists.
After more than a year of construction, the whale skeleton display house at Tan mausoleum relic, Ly Son island district (Quang Ngai) has been completed and introduced to visitors before the holidays of April 30 and May 1. This project has a total investment of more than 14 billion dong.
Ly Son island district has dozens of mausoleums, thousands of worshiping whales according to folk religious rites, imbued with the culture of the sea and islands. In the photo is Tan Lang (also known as the Department of Ocean) in this island district, which has been ranked as a national historical and cultural relic by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, where many long-standing whale skeletons are kept. , has the largest size.
Mr. Phu Nga, the owner of Van Lang Tan, said that local fishermen often believe in calling whales “Mr fish Ong”. At present, the Tan mausoleum is storing three sets of whale remains with the titles: Dong Dinh Dai Vuong and Duc Ngu two deities.
Two “monster” whale skeletons are 22 m and 28 m long, and nearly 4 m high, respectively. These two whale skeletons are about 300 years old, belonging to the largest whale species in Vietnam
Each set has 50 vertebrae, and 28 ribs, each rib is nearly 10m long. Mr. Nguyen Thanh (living in Ly Son district) said that when he was a child, he heard from his grandparents that 300 years ago, this “giant” whale had an accident in the Hoang Sa waters, then was brought back to Ly Son by local fishermen. “lucky” in front of the fishing village. Because whales weighing about 17 tons could not be lifted to shore, hundreds of villagers dug deep holes to bury them on the beach. After three years, the tribes excavated and put the skeleton in the mausoleum.
Whale ribs are more than 3 m long, turning white and yellow, curving like ivory.
Each whale vertebra is as long as an arm’s span.
The exhibition space also has colorful coral reefs, recreating the habitat of whales struggling in the ocean. Grateful for the merit of fish that have saved many lives, over many generations, fishermen in Ly Son island district still chant the song: “The holy Tomb of Ong is as strong as a mountain. The central weakness is the meaning of humanity. A night monk always keeps the Dharma. Two hands build a rampart to repay the favor.”
