It is currently the peak tourist season here, many tourists are lucky enough to admire this scene.
At 7:00 a.m. on June 24, Mr. Chau Thanh Tin (25 years old), a local tour guide, and his group of tourists caught a whale swimming in the Hon Lua island area. The sea water here is clear, making it easy to see the activities of the whale.
He said: "This is the first time I have seen such a large whale, it seems like an old humpback whale. At this time, there is a south wind, the weather is cool and pleasant. The herds of anchovies, the favorite food of the whale, drifted into the sea. The whale also swam to this area to hunt for prey."
That day, Mr. Tin also saw the whale continuing to swim around Hon ru area. Every 3-5 minutes, the whale swings up to breathe once.
Mr. Lam Chau Thong (25 years old), another local tour guide, revealed that the 5th and 6th lunar months of the year will be the whale hunting season. However, local people cannot know exactly when the whale will appear.
"I used to go fishing and often saw elephants, which here people often call big fish. When fishing, we often use a scooter and whenever we see an area with anchovies, we will have the opportunity to see the whale. However, local people release nets, if they catch a whale, they will immediately release it," he revealed.
Ms. Le Anh Thu (24 years old, Ninh Thuan) had a 2-day, 1-night trip to Vinh Hy with a group of 8 friends. On June 24, the group hired a boat to visit Hon Lua Island and accidentally saw elephants hunting for prey there. Her group has met the whale twice: the first time they met at Yen Cave they returned to Hon Rua at 11am, and the next time they returned at 1:30pm.
She said that at first she did not recognize it as a rare whale, only when the canoe driver mentioned her did she rush to get her phone back. The first time she saw a whale in real life, she could not believe her eyes and felt overwhelmed.
"I can't believe I can see elephants in real life. I felt extremely lucky. Returning to the mainland, being able to see the close-up once again made me and my friends feel grateful to see the whale again. Up to now, we are still very touched," the female tourist shared.
As a child of the Phan Rang sea area, she believes that meeting whale not only brings luck to herself but also a peaceful haven for the entire fishing community.
In the coastal area of Ninh Thuan, the worship of whale (wallet) is an indispensable part of fishermen's lives.
At the end of May 2025, a nearly 4 m long whale weighing about 1 ton drifted into the port of Ninh Chu (Tri Hai commune, Ninh Hai, Ninh Thuan). Although fishermen tried to pull back into the sea, the whale still drifted ashore, ran aground and died.
People have salvaged the fish's remains and organized a burial ceremony according to local customs. According to popular beliefs, every time the whale is washed ashore, the fishermen in the coastal village will have a good harvest, sailed in the wind, and had no problems at sea.
