A restoration project to help preserve one of the largest whale skeletons in Southeast Asia will be undertaken on Ly Son Island in the central province of Quang Ngai, local officials announced October 29.

Whale ribs in Ly Son Island District, central Quang Ngai Province. The bones will be restored as part of a VND2 billion project undertaken by local officials. (Photo: SGGP)

The Ly Son Island District People’s Committee will coordinate with provincial authorities to refurbish the whale bones and construct a glass case to house the 40-meter long skeleton.

The project is expected to cost around VND2 billion.

Upon completion, the district will nominate the skeleton for recognition as a cultural relic at the provincial level, said Mai Giang, head of the local Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

In addition to its impressive length, each of the whale’s vertebra measures 41 centimeters while its ribs stretch 2.93 meters.

Every spring, residents of Ly Son Island District come together to honor and pray to the whale to help keep local fishermen safe and prosperous.