According to local legend, when Vietnamese had just started to develop into a country, they had to fight against invaders from the north. To assist Vietnamese in defending their country, the gods sent a family of dragons as protectors. This family of dragons began spitting out pearls and jade. These jewels turned into the islands and islets dotting the bay, and formed a great wall against the invaders. Under magics, numerous rock mountains abruptly appeared on the sea, ahead of invaders' ships; the forward ships struck the rocks and each other. The people kept their land safe and formed what later became the country of Vietnam. After the victory, Mother Dragon and dragon's children didn’t return to Heaven but stayed on earth at the place where the battle has occurred. The place where the Mother Dragon landed was Ha Long, and the place where the dragon's children came down and bowed their head to their mother was Bai Tu Long. The place where the Children tails violently wagged was called Bach Long Vi, now known as Tra Co Peninsula with its soft sandy beach stretching many kilometers.
The coordinates were taken from Bai Chay Tourist Wharf in Halong Bay where we embarked on our two day Halong Bay Cruise.
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