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Ha Long literally means Descending Dragon(s). This name is associated with a legend that has been handed down for generations. According to this, during the earliest days of founding the country the Viet people were attacked by foreign invaders through the sea line. Knowing this in advance, God wanted to help the Viet people to expel the enemy by sending Mother Dragon and her children down to Vietnam. When the invaders were about to launch massive attacks against the mainland, the dragons descended in flocks from the sky. They spat out innumerable pearls which changed into jade stone islands the moment they touched the water. These islands linked together to form firm citadels that checked the enemy's advance and smashed their vessels to pieces.

After the invaders were driven out, Mother Dragon and her Child Dragons did not return to Heaven because they fell in love with the beauty of the water and the sea. They decided to remain on earth at the place where the battle had occurred. The spot where the Mother Dragon landed was Ha Long, and where the Child Dragons came down and bowed their heads to their mother was Bai Tu Long. The place where their tails violently wagged was called Bach Long Vi, now known as Tra Co Peninsula with its soft sandy beach stretching many kilometers