Close-up of two whale skeletons fully restored, on display for visitors

(Fatherland) - Two whale skeletons (locally called "Ca Ong") dating back more than 300 years in Ly Son island district (Quang Ngai) have been completely restored by experts, displayed and introduced to domestic and foreign tourists.

Performed by: H.An | November 2, 2024

(Fatherland) - Two whale skeletons (locally called "Ca Ong") dating back more than 300 years in Ly Son island district (Quang Ngai) have been completely restored by experts, displayed and introduced to domestic and foreign tourists.

The Vietnam Record Organization has just set a record for Lang Tan, Ly Son island district (Quang Ngai province), which is the place to preserve and display two whale skeletons (also known as Whale) restored on the largest island in Vietnam...

Tan Lang (also known as So Dai Duong) has been ranked as a national historical and cultural relic by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism as the place that preserves many of the oldest and largest whale skeletons.

Two whale skeletons have been preserved by Ly Son people for about 250 - 300 years, with lengths of 18m and 22m respectively, and height of nearly 4m.

Each whale skeleton has 50 vertebrae. The largest vertebrae is over 40cm in diameter, the skull is 4m long, and the tusk is 4.7m long.

The fish bones are respectfully called jade bones by fishermen.

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

According to the island's history books, two whales washed ashore in the early 19th century. After their death, a large funeral ceremony was held on the island with the participation of many fishermen. People did not bury the graves but left the whales exposed. Many years later, they used buckets to collect the fish fat that gradually dissolved and put it in jars of water for storage. About 15 years later, the bones remained from the whales' bodies. When the skeletons were brought to the mausoleum for worship, the Ly Son people used the whale fat to smear on the skeletons for preservation.

In 2022, experts successfully restored these two whale skeletons and put them on display, introducing them to domestic and foreign tourists; becoming a unique and novel tourism product serving visitors to Ly Son Island.

Statistics from 2023 to present, there have been more than 150,000 visitors to Tan mausoleum to see the two whale skeletons.

Tourists visit the whale skeleton exhibition house in Lang Tan island district.

Source: https://toquoc.vn/can-canh-hai-bo-xuong-ca-ong-duoc-phuc-dung-hoanh-chinh-trung-bay-phuc-vu-du-khach-tham-quan-20241102105930594.htm