The legend of the islands and caves of Halong Bay
Halong Bay is the result of geological activity from plate tectonics processes over millions of years. However, in the mind of the Vietnamese people, it contains rich folklore, myth and imagination. Halong Bay was born out of legends and it makes it even more mysterious.
Halong Bay
The birth of Ha Long Bay was associated with legend about dragons. God sent the Mother Dragon and her Children to help the Vietnamese fight foreign invaders. The dragons sprayed out pearls that turned into thousands of stone islands in the sea, creating a solid wall to block the attack of enemy ships. The location where the Mother Dragon landed was Halong Bay.
The legend of the islands and caves is very much related to the history of the nation.
Dau Go Cave
The legend of Dau Go cave says that “In the war against Nguyen – Mong, Tran Hung Dao had put a lot of pointed wooden spikes in the Bach Dang River to guard against enemy ships. Because there were so many pieces of wood left, the fisherman called it “Đầu Gỗ”, meaning “Pieces of wood remaining”. Another legend tells that this is the place where Tran Hung Dao came to hide the pointed wooden spikes to prepare for the Bach Dang Battle , and the name “Dấu Gỗ” signifies “ a place to hide wood”. The Merveille de Monde book of France (World Wonders) was published in 1938 and it called Dau Go Cave, Grotte des merveilles (Cave of Wonders).
Virgin Cave
Unlike Dau Go, the legend of the Virgin cave was a tragic love story. Virgin cave is located on Bo Hon Island along with Surprise Cave, Fairy Lake Cave and Luon Cave.
Legend has it that “Once upon a time, there was a beautiful young lady who lived in a poor family that worked as hired labor for the owner of a fishing vessel. The young girl was forced to become the concubine of the owner. The girl refused because she had a boyfriend, who was going out to sea to prepare for their wedding day. Because she didn’t agree, the owner exiled her to a deserted island. Hungry and exhausted, she turned into stone on a rainy night. Her lover went out to sea to find her but a storm caused his boat to break and it drifted to a deserted island. In the distance, he recognized the girl but his words were swept away by the wind. He used a rock to knock on the cliffs to let her know that he had come. Knocking until he was exhausted and his hands bled, he also turned into stone. The place where the petrified girl became Virgin Cave, and opposite lies Trong cave (Male Cave) where the young man turned into stone.”
Hanh Cave
Hanh cave is 9 km from Cam Pha, 20 km from Bai Chay Tourist Wharf. This is the longest cave in Halong Bay with a length of cave about 1,3 kilometer. Inside, there is a temple called Tam Co Temple (Three Girls Temple). It is said that there were three girls who came to this cave. Because the cave was so beautiful, they forgot the time and drowned as the tide rose and submerged them. They turned into gods of the sea, thus local people built this temple in order to comfort their souls.
Cat Ba Island
Cat Ba Archipelago consists of 367 islands, including Cat Ba Island in the south of Halong Bay, off Hai Phong City. It is known as the pearl of the Gulf of Tonkin and is the largest island of the total 1969 islands in Halong Bay. According to local legend, Cat Ba stems from the name Cac Ba (meaning Missus). For a time, there was an old woman who inhabited the island. She grew vegetables and supplied food to the men who fought invaders on a neighboring called Cat Ong (Mister).
