Ha long’s panorama
Seen on the map, the distinctive, S-shped coastline of Vietnam is easily recognizable with the upper section curving from the northeast to the southwest. Off the coast at Vietnam’s north-eastern extremity, many islands, small and large, are clearly visible. Sprinkled across an enormous area of the Gulf of Tonkin, they stretch from Mong Cai, on the border with China, to the Cat Ba archipelago, close to Hai Phong. To the north of Cat Ba island is a gulf penetrating deep into the mainland, on the same line of latitude as Hanoi. The smaller outside part of the gulf is called Bai Tu Long bay and the large inside part is Ha Long bay.
From a boat, it is impossible to indentify the natural borderline separating Ha Long bay from the waters surrounding it. Administratively, the part of the bay officially recognized as a World Natural Heritage is the area within the red line in the map ( dat duong link noi vao ban do). It is the center of Ha Long bay that visitors will find the thousands of precipitous stone pinnacles jutting above the water surface to create the strange and original scenery for which Ha Long is famous. The farther the islands are away from the center, the less they slope and the larger their ‘feet’ get until they look much more like ordinary islands.
Ha Long bay is located in Quang Ninh Province, stretching over 60 km from Yen Hung to Van Don Island District. It is situated between latitudes 20 45’ to 20 50’ North and longitudes 106 58’ to 107 22’ East. Like other sites in North Vietnam, the bay is located in a tropical monsoon zone that is divided clearly into four distinct seasons.
Up to now, no document or research has officially provided any credible evidence to explain the origin of the name Ha Long. A folk legend has it that, long ago, the local inhabitants used to see a herd of go-dragons led by a Mother-Dragon descending from the sky and playing over the wavew. At times of drought, the dragons spat rain to water the whole area. They protected fishing-boats against high waves and guided the boats land on stormy days. To show their gratitude, the local people usually presented the dragons with offerings.
One day, pirates flocked to the bay and massacred the inhabitants. Hearing the cries of the people, the dragons immediately appeared, spouting fire to burn the invaders. The sacred fire dropped down as blackish grey ash to create the thousands of rough columns of the present-day limestone island. The place where the dragons landed is named Ha Long (descending dragons) and the site where the dragons kowtowed to their mother before returning the sky is called Bai Tu Long (prostrating child-dragons).
Only by admiring the panorama of Ha Long bay from a great height is it possible to acknowledge the rich imagination of the people who produced such a vivid story about Ha Long.
Like other East Asian people, the Vietnamese consider dragons as the symbol of just strength and nobility. In Vietnam, at least three important localities are named after dragons: the capital city Hanoi – Than Long (ascending dragon), the county’s biggest rice bowl – the Mekong or Cuu Long (nice dragons).
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