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VietnamDescription and is it worth a visit
Temple of the Whale Van Thuy Tu Temple – this undeservedly forgotten temple by tourists, founded back in 1762, is one of the most unusual places in Phan Thiet.
The temple of the Whale in Phan Thiet is unique. It differs from thousands of other places of worship in that it contains a real huge skeleton of a whale. It is displayed right in the hall, and you can see and touch it. The skeleton is 22 meters long and is said to be the largest whale skeleton in Asia. They also say that during his lifetime such a whale weighed 65 tons. There are more than 100 parts of the skeletons of other whales and some other marine life stored here. But why, you ask, is it kept in a temple, and not in a zoological museum, for example?
According to legend, this whale saved a fisherman who was dying at sea due to bad weather. And given that the early Cham and Khmer cultures worshiped whales, this whale was placed in a temple. But the most interesting thing is that local fishermen still arrange a real funeral for the dead whales with all the honors and ceremonies. A few years later, the buried whale is exhumed, and its bones are transferred to the temple. The last whale funeral was held here in 2002.
Unfortunately, the entrance to the temple of the whale is paid. And to be honest, except for the whale skeleton itself, there is nothing to see inside the temple and on the territory, it does not differ in beauty. So here you will spend no more than 5 minutes, there is nothing to do longer. Therefore, we do not recommend going here on purpose, but if you are walking in this part of the city or passing by, you can come in.
🕐 Working hours
Open from 07:30 to 11:30 and from 13:30 to 16:30, seven days a week.
💵Entrance fee / ticket price
15 00 VND / 0.57 USD.
🚶 How to get there
The temple is located in the center of Phan Thiet at 54 Ngu Ong (temple on the map). You can get to it from Coop Mart on foot. You can get from the resort area of Mui Ne by city bus No. 1 for 20,000 DONG, you need to go to the next stop after Coop Mart or ask the driver to stop at the right place on demand after passing the bridge. From the bus stop to the temple 5 minutes on foot. Learn more about transport in Muine, buses and how to get around here.
Friends, we remind you that it is much more interesting to get acquainted with the sights of Mui Ne with the help of excursions, and therefore we advise you to look at options with online booking and reviews on these excursion aggregators: