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The city authorities have revived a sacred giant tortoise that died in Hoan Kiem Lake in Hanoi. She embalmed the beloved creature for posterity and sightseeing.
The Hanoi were shocked by the death of the critically endangered Swinhoe softshell turtle in 2016, saying its demise was a sign of threatening times.
The reptile is thought to be the last of a long line of big turtles in the center of the city, Hoàn Kiếm, revered as a symbol of Vietnam's struggle for independence according to the mythic tradition handed down for generations.
Nicknamed "Cụ Rùa", which means "great-grandfather of the turtle", he would have been between 80 and 100 years old at the time of his death.
Visitors enjoyed the turtle's resurrection at Hoang Kiếm's famous Ngoc Son temple, where the 170-kilogram creature was displayed last week, sitting on a red carpet in a showcase with a richly carved wooden frame.
The last Hoan Kiếm lake turtle exposed in the Ngoc Son temple. Photo: Luong Thai Linh / EPA
"It's great to see him here. Everyone can now admire it, symbol of Hanoi, "said tourist Tran Thi Anh.
The huge creature sits next to another who was embalmed in the same way and locked in glbad in 1968.
They are not the only preserved heroes in Vietnam: the revolutionary leader of the country, Ho Chi Minh, is exposed on a large concrete and grbad place, Ba Dinh, in the French quarter of the city.
In a unique take on custom, a restaurateur who served Hanoi's famous pork noodles to chef Anthony Bourdain and former US president Barack Obama, kept his table in a glbad box.
Barack Obama and Anthony Bourdain eating noodles in Vietnam. Photo: Pete Souza / White House
The turtles exposed to Hoàn Kiếm – which means "restored sword" in Vietnamese – would be the protectors of an ancient sword in the green waters.
According to popular legend, the former emperor Le Loi was said to have received this weapon in the 15th century from the god of the golden turtles of the lake, who had used it to fight the Chinese invaders before returning it to Hoan Kiếm.
According to the Asian Turtles program, there are only four surviving Swinhoe turtles left in the world – two in a Chinese zoo and two in Vietnam.
Superstition is ubiquitous in Vietnam and any sighting of giant tortoises is considered auspicious.
Conservation officers observe the turtle named Cụ Rùa swimming after its capture in 2011 at Hoan Kiếm Lake in Hanoi, Vietnam. Photography: STR / EPA
The same is true today for other species of turtles living in the lake.
"I just saw smaller turtles coming to the surface of the lake … it seems like a chance to see them, do not you think?", Said Nguyen visitor Tri Ton, laughing.
"That's good, they have embalmed Mr. Turtles here to keep them alive for all the Vietnamese people," he added.
The local authorities first tried to repress the announcement of Cu Rua's death in 2016, fearing that this would be perceived as a misfortune before a party congress charged with choosing the country's top leaders.
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