The corpse of a humpback whale is carried on the way to a local temple in Bac Lieu Province. Photo: VNA.

A fisherman in southern Vietnam discovered the corpse of a 250-kilo whale stuck inside his fishing net on Sunday morning.

Ho Xuan Banh immediately stopped his fishing in the waters off Ca Mau Province, to transport the carcass ashore.

It is uncertain whether the whale had died before or after being trapped in the net.

The humpback whale, which was 2.33 meters in length, was taken into a temple in neighboring Bac Lieu Province for a ritual funeral.

After the funeral, the carcass will be preserved and displayed at the temple’s museum, a representative of the temple said.

Fishing villages in Vietnam respect whales and consider them their guardians. They often organize solemn funeral ceremonies for the ones that die and drift to shore.