As you grow from childhood, you may suddenly realize that you’ve just journeyed through a wonderland of space and time, filled with miracles, fairies, witches, and legends that hold dreams or endless questions about the vast universe.
Within that vast universe lies a natural world wonder: Ha Long Bay. When you visit, the locals will share countless legends – each as beautiful and mysterious as the bay itself.
Here are the five most captivating legends surrounding the enchanting Ha Long Bay.
1. Legend of Ha Long Bay
Don’t know since when the Vietnamese people say that: In the olden days, when the country was still miserable from war and invasion, the kind and generous people always had to live in hardship.
The Heaven Emperor felt pity for the good people, so he sent the God Dragon to life to help the Vietnamese fight foreign invaders.
Wherever the dragon went, the invaders scattered there. The dragon used precious gems to drop into the sea. The dragon balls immediately turned into large and small rocks that protruded all over the water, creating a water formation to block the advance of enemy ships.
When the enemy left, the Dragon God and her cubs realized that the scenery here was very charming, the water was clear, and the people were gentle. So Dragon God decided to stay in this place to protect the people of Vietnam forever.
From there, the place where the Mother Dragon landed is called Ha Long Bay, one of the most famous destinations in Halong City. The place where the baby dragons live is Bai Tu Long Bay. Bach Long Vi is the area where the dragons are splashing in the waves.
The birth of this legend also comes from the pride of the Vietnamese people’s Fairy Dragon race. Belief in their origin has helped the Vietnamese stand up firmly in all difficulties, always reaching for a peaceful and gentle life.
2. Legend of Hanh Cave
The longest cave in the Ha Long Bay system, along the shore of Bai Tu Long Bay, is Hanh Cave or Ba Co Cave.
According to the locals, a long time ago, three girls were rowing a boat into the Hanh cave for a walk on a beautiful day. The stunning scenery of the cave made the three girls forget the time to return. The tide rose, and the water flooded the exit. The three girls were trapped in the cave and could never return.
People mourn these girls, so they set up a shrine in front of the cave, which is called the temple of the three girls. These girls’ souls also turn into divine gods to help the gentle people.
Today, people in the region and tourists traveling to Ha Long Bay often visit Hanh Cave. They burned incense in front of the Ba Co shrine to ask the souls of the three girls to protect their family’s health and peace.
3. Legend of Trinh Nu Cave – Trong Cave
Suppose the legend of Hanh Cave praises the beauty of the cave, human affection, honesty, and humanity of the indigenous people. In that case, the legends of Trinh Nu Cave (also called Virgin Cave) and Trong Cave highlight the beauty of the couple’s love and loyalty in Vietnam.
Legend has it that, in ancient times, in Ha Long, there was a lovely girl. Living in a poor fishing family, her family had to work as hired labor for the wealthy landowner in the area.
Seeing the beautiful girl, the landowner actively wanted to rob her as his concubine. But the girl soon fell in love with the truthful fisherman in the same village. They love each other and look forward to a peaceful married life.
While the boy was busy sailing with dreams of a bright future, the girl had to find ways to stay away from the evil landlord’s hands. Finally, not accepting the forced fate, the girl had to flee to the cave in the bay, waiting for her lover to return. Hungry and exhausted, the beautiful girl was petrified in the cold, dark cave on a rainy night.
Today, in the cave, there is still a stone statue in the shape of a lying girl with long hair, her eyes looking forward to the distant sea. From then on, the place where the girl was turned to stone was named Trinh Nu Cave — a tribute by the villagers to her purity and unwavering faithfulness.
As for the guy, returning from the sea, he hurriedly rowed everywhere to find his lover. Under the lightning in the rainy night sky, he realized where the girl awaited him. But his lover’s call was drowned in the waves. He used a rock to knock on the cliff to signal to the girl. He kept knocking, knocking, knocking until his hands bled. In the end, he too was tragically turned to stone, his efforts in vain.
The people in the area were impressed by the boy’s love, so they named this place Trong Cave, also known as Boy Cave.
Nowadays, Trong Cave is opposite Trinh Nu Cave, about 700-800 meters apart. At the entrance of the cave, a stone statue in the shape of a boy looks at Trinh Nu Cave with a look of nostalgia and hopelessness.
Although the legend’s ending is full of tragedy, it creates an attractive and poetic feature that makes anyone who comes here want to visit these two caves at least once. Explorers come to see and hear about the story of Trinh Nu—Trong caves to see, somewhere in their hearts, the belief in love.
4. Legend of Dau Go Cave
The Ha Long people often circulate three different theories to explain the origin of the name Dau Go cave, also called Hidden Wood.
The first hypothesis is given because of the shape of the Dau Go Island chain. It is a bow-shaped island chain that hugs the mouth of a cave inside. From here, it creates an airtight sea section that can be a haven for boats during a storm.
Therefore, fishermen throughout the bay often choose this place to anchor their boats during the rainy and stormy season. Gradually becoming a habit, this place became a familiar wharf for the locals after each trip to sea.
They buy, sell, and exchange seafood, as well as repair and rebuild boats right here. The wood samples left after each repair and construction of new boats on the beach have given this bow-shaped island chain the name Dau Go (meaning the upper part of wood). Since then, the cave has been located in the heart of the Dau Go island range and is called Dau Go Cave.
The second hypothesis is much simpler. Locals believe the island range resembles a wooden log floating on the sea, so they named it the Dau Go Island chain. Over time, people began referring to it as Dau Go Island for a simple call. At the heart of this island lies a stunning cavern known as Dau Go Cave.
The third hypothesis concerns the great historical event of Vietnam. According to folklore, in the 13th century, the Mongols invaded Vietnam. Under the leadership of the Tran dynasty, the Vietnamese people stood up and completely drove the foreign invaders out of the territory.
Among the achievements that remain to this day, the victory on the Bach Dang River created a proud mark for all generations of the nation. To make that historic position, the Tran army and people silently planted a large number of wooden sticks in the Bach Dang river bed.
The wood prepared to make piles is hidden everywhere, including caves on Ha Long Bay. Later, people called that cave Dấu Gỗ (Hidden Wood Cave). Over time, the word Dấu Gỗ deviated to Đầu Gỗ (The upper part of wood). Some people also believe that the wood samples left in the cave have created the name Đầu Gỗ for this beautiful cave.
Of the three theories about the origin of the name Dau Go Cave still handed down to this day, the third is the most favored by the people here. It is like a way for Vietnamese people to remind them of their father’s heroic feats, expressing the spirit of national pride. This legend also adds to the beauty of the Dau Go cave in the hearts of every Vietnamese.
5. Legend of Cat Ba Island
If the Tran army used Dau Go cave to hide wooden tips, another legend records that Tran Quoc Tuan chose the water region of Lan Ha Bay to hide food and take care of the military.
Since the logistics and support work were primarily managed by women, the island where the army was stationed came to be known as ‘Các Bà,’ meaning ‘the Ladies’ in Vietnamese.
Over time, the word Các Bà is read gradually, and it gradually deviates into Cát Bà. The people have called it Cat Ba Island from here.
The above legends show that, whether they come from mysterious colors or historical imprints, the names bring their own beauty and color to the place they are attached to. It is a natural beauty containing the soul, love, and national pride of all generations of Vietnamese people.
If you ever come to Ha Long as a tourist, listen to these beautiful legends to see how much more wonderful this place becomes.
