When marine mammal researcher Vu Long entered the De Gi whale temple on the coast of Vietnam's Gia Lai province, he was stunned by the variety of skeletons and bones stored inside.
A 20-foot skeleton of an unidentified species of baleen whale is displayed at Lang Ong Thuy Tuong, a whale temple in Ho Chi Minh City's coastal Can Gio district. Vietnam's whale temples are part of a centuries-old fishing tradition and offer valuable insights into the country's marine life. (All photos courtesy of the Center for Biodiversity Conservation and Endangered Species)
Coastal shrines unite a centuries-old tradition with modern research