What does Halong Bay mean? The origin of the name Halong Bay

Surely many people who have come to Halong Bay wonder why this place has such a strange name. Everyone knows that Halong is the place where the dragon descended, but from where that name came from, there are certainly only a few people who know the legend of the name of Halong Bay. In this article, we will explain to you what does Halong Bay mean?

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Since before the 19th century, the name of Halong Bay has not been recorded in the history of Vietnam. When it comes to this area, ancient history books often remain with the names An Bang, Luc Thuy, Van Don, Giao Chau, Luc Chau, Hai Dong, …

Until the end of the 19th century, the name of Halong Bay appeared on Nautical maps of France. In the “Hai Phong News” published in French, it was reported: “Dragon appeared on Halong Bay”. The story is recorded in the newspaper as follows: In 1898, Lieutenant Lagredin, the captain of the Avalangese ship and its crew traveled through the waters of Halong Bay.

There, Lieutenant Lagredin saw a pair of giant sea snakes gliding across the islands of Halong Bay three times. Not only the captain but also many other sailors on board witnessed. As Europeans associate, this animal is like the Asian dragon. Is it because of the appearance of a strange animal dubbed a dragon that the Quang Ninh waters were named Halong Bay?

In addition, “Halong Bay” is also associated with the legend of the origin of the Vietnamese nation, associated with the legend of the dragon herd to help Vietnamese fight foreign invaders and protect the shore.

After the end of the war, the mother dragon and her cubs did not return to heaven but stayed on earth – where the battle had just taken place. The place where Mother Dragon came down was Halong, where the Children of Dragon came down, Bai Tu Long Bay. The tail of the Dragon is the White Dragon Island.