--- description: The creature is being mourned on social media title: Sacred Turtle in Vietnam Dies image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltffbf30c1a85d3b8a/698879c7e20a872036a8f217/giant-turtle-vietnam.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Sacred Giant Turtle Dies in Vietnam by [Victor Luckerson](/author/victor-luckerson/) ## Victor Luckerson Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jan 20, 2016 4:43 PM CUT  A giant soft-shell turtle (Rafetus swinhoei), considered a sacred symbol of Vietnamese independence, is guided into a cage for a health check at Hoan Kiem lake in Hanoi, on April 3, 2011. A giant soft-shell turtle (Rafetus swinhoei), considered a sacred symbol of Vietnamese independence, is guided into a cage for a health check at Hoan Kiem lake in Hanoi, on April 3, 2011.Vietnam News Agency/AFP/Getty Images by [Victor Luckerson](/author/victor-luckerson/) ## Victor Luckerson Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jan 20, 2016 4:43 PM CUT A [celebrated giant turtle that the Vietnamese viewed as sacred](http://news.yahoo.com/vietnams-beloved-sacred-turtle-dies-state-media-080559505.html "undefined") has died, according to state media. The 440-lb. reptile was thought to be more than 80 years old and was one of only four [Yangtze giant softshell turtles ](http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/07/130703-china-yangtze-giant-softshell-turtle-animal-science/ "undefined")still alive. It was found dead in a lake in central Hanoi Tuesday. Turtle researcher Tim McCormack said the animal was “one of the rarest species on the planet.” He estimated that it was “easily” over a century old. Vietnamese mourned the death of the turtle on social media sites. The giant reptile is part of a national fable taught to schoolchildren about a turtle that gave a magic sword to Le Loi, a 15th-century fighter who defeated Chinese attackers. Government officials have not yet decided what to do with the turtle’s body and are considering embalming it, according to state media. \[[AFP](http://news.yahoo.com/vietnams-beloved-sacred-turtle-dies-state-media-080559505.html "undefined")\] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4186903/sacred-giant-turtle-dies-vietnam/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4186903/sacred-giant-turtle-dies-vietnam/"},"headline":"Sacred Giant Turtle Dies in Vietnam","datePublished":"2016-01-20T16:43:57.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T14:17:18.942Z","description":"The creature is being mourned on social media","url":"https://time.com/4186903/sacred-giant-turtle-dies-vietnam/","keywords":["Vietnam","animals"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltffbf30c1a85d3b8a/698879c7e20a872036a8f217/giant-turtle-vietnam.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Victor Luckerson","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/victor-luckerson/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltffbf30c1a85d3b8a/698879c7e20a872036a8f217/giant-turtle-vietnam.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"A giant soft-shell turtle (Rafetus swinhoei) which is considered a sacred symbol of Vietnamese independence is guided into a cage for a health check by handlers at Hoan Kiem lake in the heart of Hanoi. Thousands of onlookers cheered in central Hanoi on A","caption":"A giant soft-shell turtle (Rafetus swinhoei) which is considered a sacred symbol of Vietnamese independence is guided into a cage for a health check by handlers at Hoan Kiem lake in the heart of Hanoi. Thousands of onlookers cheered in central Hanoi on A","creditText":"Vietnam News Agency/AFP/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4186903/sacred-giant-turtle-dies-vietnam/","name":"Sacred Giant Turtle Dies in Vietnam"}}]}] ```