The fisherman then contacted the agency, which later cooperated with local authorities and fishermen to bring the 16-meter long whale to the coast.

“A burial ceremony for the whale took place this morning and local fishermen believe that the animal will bring them luck at sea,” the Agence France Presse quoted Le Dong Duong, director of the provincial department of maritime resource exploitation, as saying Monday.

Local fishermen said the animal was rotting and must have died two to three days earlier.

Concerned agencies in Bac Lieu have launched an investigation to determine the whale’s species and the cause of its death.

“We don’t yet know what caused its death, or its age, because we didn’t see any injuries on its body,” Duong said, adding that a similar case occurred four or five years ago in the province.

Vietnamese fishermen, especially those from the central coast, worship whales as the God of the Sea.