Two endangered impressed tortoises (Manouria impressa), a species requiring strict protection, have been found at Dai An Temple in the central province of Ha Tinh.
The impressed tortoise, of the family Testudinidae, is a rare terrestrial species native to humid tropical and montane forests across Southeast Asia, including Myanmar, Thailand, Laos and Vietnam.
It is listed as vulnerable in Vietnam’s Red Data Book and as a threatened species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
In Vietnam, it is protected under the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment's Group IIB regulations, which prohibit hunting and trade.