# Van Thuy Tu Whale Temple, Phan Thiet > Van Thuy Tu (Vạn Thủy Tú) is a fishermen's temple from 1762 in central Phan Thiet, dedicated to the whale as guardian of seafarers. It holds a fin whale skeleton over 20 m long — Vietnam's largest — and around a hundred other whale skeletons. It's open 7:00–17:30; entry is about 15,000 VND, 5,000 for children (unofficial). It's about 900 m on foot from the Water Tower. Web page: https://yesgo.io/vietnam/phan-thiet/van-thuy-tu-temple - City: [Phan Thiet](https://yesgo.io/vietnam/phan-thiet), Vietnam - YesGo score: 39/100 (Yes, if nearby) - Time on site: 30 min - With kids: Fine with kids - Hours: Daily 7:00–17:30 - Ticket: About 15,000 VND, children 5,000 - Time needed: 30–40 minutes - Where: 231 Ngu Ong, central Phan Thiet — 150 m from the fishing port - From the Water Tower: ≈ 900 m on foot, 10–12 minutes - Dress: A working temple: cover shoulders and knees - Coordinates: 10.92319, 108.10005 - Facts checked: 08.11.2026 ## Key facts - **1762** — the fishermen of Thuy Tu village built the temple to worship the whale (source: Vietnamese Wikipedia; VnExpress (08.03.2021)) - **> 20 m** — the length of the fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) skeleton; guides say 22 m (source: VnExpress; VinWonders (blog)) - **2005** — the Vietnam Book of Records named it the country's largest whale skeleton (source: VnExpress (08.03.2021)) - **63 vertebrae** — and 15 pairs of ribs; the skull is about 2.4 m wide (source: VnExpress, citing the Phan Thiet Culture Office) - **≈ 100** — whale skeletons are kept here; half of them are 100–150 years old (source: Vietnamese Wikipedia) - **24** — royal decrees from Nguyen emperors — an unusual number for one temple (source: Vietnamese Wikipedia) - **1996** — the temple became a national historic monument (source: Vietnamese Wikipedia) - **> 100 m** — the sea has retreated from the gate, which once stood at the water's edge (source: Vietnamese Wikipedia) ## Opening hours and entrance fee The temple is open **daily from 7:00 to 17:30**. Tickets are about **15,000 VND** for adults and **5,000** for children. These figures come from a VinWonders guide marked 'for reference' — there's no official website — and may change on holidays, so check at the desk. Pay in cash in dong. This is a working temple: cover your shoulders and knees, keep your voice down and don't touch the altars or bones. ## What is Van Thuy Tu? **Van Thuy Tu** (Vạn Thủy Tú) is the 'vạn' — guild temple — of the Thuy Tu fishing village, on Ngu Ong street in central Phan Thiet. It was built in **1762** to honour the **whale** — 'Cá Ông' ('Lord Fish'), god of the Southern Sea, who fishermen believe rescues them in storms. The cult came from the ancient Cham and was taken up by Vietnamese and Chinese fishing communities along this coast. When a dead whale washes ashore, the fishermen hold a funeral and, three years later, move the bones into the temple. That's how about **a hundred skeletons** ended up here. In **1996** the temple became a national historic monument. ## The whale skeleton — Vietnam's largest The highlight is a **fin whale skeleton** (Balaenoptera physalus) **over 20 m** long (guides say 22 m). Legend says the 65-tonne whale beached here in the 18th century and took two days to bring to the temple. In 2003 the bones were reassembled on a metal frame, and in **2005** the Vietnam Book of Records named it the country's largest. It has **63 vertebrae** and **15 pairs of ribs**, a skull about **2.4 m** wide and a lower jaw about 3.8 m long. It lies in a long hall at the back of the temple, next to cabinets of bones from other whales. ## What to see - **The fin whale skeleton**, over 20 m long, in the hall at the back. - **Cabinets of whale bones** — around a hundred skeletons, many over a century old. - **The main hall** with altars to the whale god and the fishermen's ancestors. - **Carved boards and couplets** in Han-Nom, Vietnam's old script. - **The large bronze bell** with its inscription. - **The 'holy ground'** in the yard where beached whales are buried. ## How to get to Van Thuy Tu 1. **From the Water Tower** it's about 900 m south on foot, 10–12 minutes. 2. **From Duc Thanh School** it's about 700 m, 10 minutes on foot. 3. **From Mui Ne and the Nguyen Dinh Chieu resorts** it's 20–25 km — 25–30 minutes by Grab. Search for "Vạn Thủy Tú". 4. The temple is at 231 Ngu Ong street, 150 m from Phan Thiet fishing port. 5. The ticket desk is at the entrance; the skeleton hall is at the back of the courtyard. ## How long do you need, and when to go? Allow **30–40 minutes**. Go **in the morning or after 3 pm** — the hall has no air conditioning and gets stuffy at midday. Weekends are busier, especially when groups come up from Ho Chi Minh City. It's easy to combine with central Phan Thiet: the Water Tower, Duc Thanh School and the fishing port are all close by. The temple's biggest festival is the summer prayer for a good catch. ## Is the whale temple worth visiting? Yes: a whale skeleton the size of a bus is something children and adults remember, and entry costs less than a coffee. The YesGo take: the temple is small, the labels are almost all in Vietnamese, and there's no air conditioning. If bones and folk religion don't interest you, 20 minutes is enough. It's not worth a special trip from Mui Ne on its own — combine it with a walk around the centre. ## Before you go: checklist - [ ] Going before 17:30 — it closes after that - [ ] Cash in dong for the ticket - [ ] Shoulders and knees covered - [ ] Water — the hall is stuffy - [ ] Nearby: the Water Tower and Duc Thanh School ## Temples of Phan Thiet: compare and choose Temples and shrines in Phan Thiet and Mui Ne rated by YesGo. - [Van Thuy Tu Whale Temple](https://yesgo.io/vietnam/phan-thiet/van-thuy-tu-temple) — YesGo score 39/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 30 min · ≈ 15,000 VND, children ≈ 5,000 - [Po Sah Inu Cham Towers](https://yesgo.io/vietnam/phan-thiet/po-sah-inu-towers) — YesGo score 33/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 45 min · About 10,000–15,000 VND - [Ta Cu Mountain](https://yesgo.io/vietnam/phan-thiet/ta-cu-mountain) — YesGo score 19/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 3 h · Cable car about 250,000 VND ## Central Phan Thiet in half a day The Po Sah Inu towers, then the Water Tower, Duc Thanh School and the Van Thuy Tu whale temple. Add them to your route — YesGo fits in the timing and transfers. 1. [Po Sah Inu Cham Towers](https://yesgo.io/vietnam/phan-thiet/po-sah-inu-towers) — YesGo score 33/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 45 min · About 10,000–15,000 VND 2. [Phan Thiet Water Tower](https://yesgo.io/vietnam/phan-thiet/phan-thiet-water-tower) — YesGo score 45/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 20 min · free (outside only) 3. [Duc Thanh School](https://yesgo.io/vietnam/phan-thiet/duc-thanh-school) — YesGo score 44/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 45 min · free 4. [Van Thuy Tu Whale Temple](https://yesgo.io/vietnam/phan-thiet/van-thuy-tu-temple) — YesGo score 39/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 30 min · ≈ 15,000 VND, children ≈ 5,000 ## Good to know Van Thuy Tu whale temple is in central Phan Thiet. There are whale temples (Lăng Cá Ông) in Vung Tau and other Vietnamese coastal towns too, but the largest skeleton is here. ## Tips - Shoot the skeleton from the end of the hall to fit it all in. - No flash — it's a temple. - Labels are in Vietnamese: translate them with Google Translate's camera. - The fishing port with its colourful boats is 150 m away. - 900 m away: the [Water Tower](https://yesgo.io/vietnam/phan-thiet/phan-thiet-water-tower). ## Questions ### Where is the whale temple in Phan Thiet? At 231 Ngu Ong street in central Phan Thiet, about 900 m from the Water Tower. ### How much is entry to Van Thuy Tu? About 15,000 VND for adults and 5,000 for children (unofficial). ### What are the opening hours? Daily 7:00–17:30, according to guides. ### How long is the whale skeleton? Over 20 m (often given as 22 m) — Vietnam's largest according to the national Book of Records. ### What kind of whale is it? A fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus). ### How long do you need? 30–40 minutes. ### How do I get there from Mui Ne? 20–25 km, 25–30 minutes by Grab. ### Is it worth visiting? Yes, for Vietnam's largest whale skeleton — as part of a walk around the centre. ## How we checked There's no official website. Hours of 7:00–17:30 and prices of 15,000/5,000 VND come from a VinWonders blog marked 'for reference', so they're flagged as unconfirmed. Skeleton length: VnExpress says 'over 20 m', VinWonders 22 m; we say over 20 m and mention 22. The species is the fin whale, per the Latin name given by the Phan Thiet Culture Office. Number of skeletons: Wikipedia about 100, VnExpress over 100; we say around a hundred. In line with YesGo policy we don't go into the 18th-century wars behind the Nguyen decrees. The distance from the Water Tower is a 925 m OSRM route. ## Sources - Vietnamese Wikipedia — Vạn Thủy Tú: founding year, whale cult, about 100 skeletons, 24 decrees, 1996 monument status - VnExpress International (08.03.2021) — fin whale skeleton, weight, 2003 restoration, 2005 record, dimensions, whale funeral custom - VinWonders (blog) — opening hours and ticket prices (for reference) - Wikidata Q10834146 — coordinates; OSRM route — distances - YesGo general facts for Vietnam — cash and Grab --- This is the Markdown version of a YesGo page for AI assistants. Quote the web page link above, not this file.