Over 100 snakes of different kinds crawled along a national highway in southern Dong Nai Province, throwing locals into panic on Saturday afternoon.

Around 4.40pm, locals who travelled and live in a neighborhood in the province’s Thong Nhat District along the National Highway No. 1 were petrified at the ghastly sight of over 100 snakes crawling across the highway.

Witnesses said they earlier saw three men, who resembled Buddhist monks with shaved heads in yellow outfits, getting down from a seven-seat car with three green sacks.

The men unpacked the sacks as if they were pouring out the contents.

Shortly after they left, locals saw the snakes creeping across the highway and sneaking into rubber tree farms nearby.

Local police soon joined passengers and rubber workers in beating the snakes dead and collected around 10 kilograms of dead snakes.

According to those who joined in the snake search, the number of collected snakes is small compared to those remaining on the loose, as the area is densely vegetated.   The incident drew huge crowds of curious passengers and locals, although many are concerned they may get bitten.

However, some snake traders said the snakes are non-venomous.

Several locals say the snake-freeing act, if confirmed, may be related to a Buddhist practice of releasing an animal from captivity for humanitarian purposes.

Vietnamese people, particularly Buddhists, traditionally set free birds and fish on major Buddhist occasions to pray for blessings.

However, many dismiss that possibility as few, if none, set free snakes for that purpose, and demand the snake release be investigated closely.

The district police are further looking into the strange incident.