The 2.6-metre, 300-kg dolphin became stranded on July 28. Residents repeatedly tried to return it to the sea, but the exhausted animal, which had multiple abrasions, was unable to swim away.
After bringing it ashore, residents covered the dolphin with wet towels and continuously poured seawater over its body to keep it moist. The dolphin died shortly after midnight on July 31.
Local residents said dolphins occasionally become stranded along the coast, but surviving for more than two days out of the water was highly unusual.
Following local fishing traditions, the dolphin was buried in a traditional ceremony. Coastal communities in central Vietnam regard dolphins and whales as sacred animals believed to protect fishermen at sea.