Ben Hai Commune police said on November 7 that residents had discovered the turtle washed ashore at Trung Giang Beach at around 7am that morning.
Police worked with local authorities and fisheries officials to inspect the scene and arrange for the carcass to be transported to a designated burial site to ensure environmental hygiene.
The discovery came just over a week after another rare sea turtle was rescued in the same area.
On October 28, Phan Van Trieu, 64, a resident of Trung Giang Village, found a hawksbill sea turtle entangled in a fishing net and washed ashore.
Recognising it as a protected marine species, he alerted local police, who coordinated with fisheries authorities and residents to rescue the turtle and release it back into the sea.
Hawksbill sea turtles are classified as critically endangered and are listed under Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), which prohibits international commercial trade in the species.
Ben Hai Commune police urged residents not to illegally hunt, trap, capture, transport, possess or trade wildlife, particularly rare and endangered species.
Residents who discover protected marine animals caught in fishing nets or washed ashore should immediately notify authorities so appropriate rescue or handling measures can be taken, police said.
