The bay’s namesake

“Ha Long” means “Descending Dragon”. Before the 19th century, this name was not recorded in ancient Vietnamese documents. The bay was known by names such as Giao Chau, Luc Thuy, An Bang, An Quang, Hai Dong, Hoa Phong, Nghieu Phong, and more. It was only toward the end of the 19th century that the name Ha Long Bay appeared on French maritime maps of the Tonkin Gulf, and in some French and Vietnamese newspapers. An article in the French-language “Haiphong News” reported: “A dragon appeared over Ha Long Bay”. The story is summarized as follows: Junior Lieutenant Legderin, captain of the ship Avalence, and many sailors witnessed a pair of gigantic sea serpents in Ha Long Bay three times in the years 1898, 1900, and 1902. Europeans associated these creatures with the dragons from Asian mythology. According to the book “Văn hóa nghệ thuật Quảng Ninh, từ một góc nhìn” (Quang Ninh’s Culture and Art, From a Perspective), Quang Ninh, 2002, the sightings of these strange dragon-like creatures led to the area being named “Ha Long Bay”.

The descending dragon

The name “Descending Dragon” is tied to a legend passed down through generations. In Vietnam’s early days, the Vietnamese were attacked by foreign invaders who came from the sea. Seeing this, the Jade Emperor dispatched a Mother Dragon and her offspring to aid the Vietnamese people in battle. As the enemy’s boats rushed toward the coast, the dragons descended to earth. Breathing fire, they incinerated many enemy boats, while some of the pearls they spat out formed an immensely solid wall of stone, which rose majestically between heaven and earth, causing the enemy’s boats to crash and shatter upon impact.