Nguyen Dinh Anh Minh, chairman of the Tay Nha Trang Ward People’s Committee, said the reptile, weighing nearly 4 kilogrammes was being temporarily held for monitoring and identification.
Authorities will determine the species and assess whether it belongs to a protected list of rare and endangered wildlife.
Earlier on Friday, residents and monks found the animal roaming within the pagoda grounds. Suspecting it could be a protected wild species, they moved it into a storage room and alerted authorities.
The animal was later taken to the ward headquarters for further processing in line with regulations.
Monitor lizards are reptiles commonly found in forests, rivers, swamps and areas near water sources.
Under Vietnamese law, several monitor lizard species are classified as protected rare and endangered wildlife. Illegal hunting, trading, breeding or transportation of such animals may result in legal penalties.
