A Vietnamese professor has suggested that Hanoi should bring a turtle from another local lake to replace the giant Cu Rua turtle which died yesterday, January 19.

Cu Rua died on January 19

Professor Nguyen Lan Dung, president of the Vietnam Society for Biology, said that the Cu Rua was a symbol of Hoan Kiem Lake for centuries. Meanwhile, the turtle at Dong Mo Lake in Hanoi's outlying Son Tay town has many similar characteristics to Cu Rua.

According to the professor, the body of the dead turtle should have been preserved at Ngoc Son Temple located on Hoan Kiem Lake as the turtle is linked to the 15th-century legend that claimed King Le Loi returned a magic sword to the lake by giving it to the turtle which then swam it back to the gods. It’s from this story that the name of the lake is derived.

In 2012, director of Asian Turtle Programme Douglas Hendrie, said that he had conducted a DNA test which showed that the turtles at Dong Mo and Hoan Kiem lakes are the same species.

Hanoi’s authorities have decided to keep Cu Rua at the Vietnam National Museum of Nature under the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology for long-term research and preservation purposes.