The surrealistic Bay is dotted with 1,600 limestone islands covered in rainforests and islets.
It covers an area of over 1,500 sq km.
Most of the islands and the karst
limestone pillars in the bay are uninhabited.
When we first arrived I was disappointed it was cloudy.
But as I started taking pictures I realized that the clouds made
it more mystical and ethereal.
The area was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994.
"According to legend, when Vietnam first became a country, the Vietnamese had to fight off northern invaders from China.
The gods, feeling sorry for them, sent the Mother Dragon and
her children to help them against their invaders.
The family of dragons spat
out jade and emeralds, which formed a barrier against the enemy and helped the
Vietnamese defeat their aggressors.
After the battle, the dragons did not
return to the heavens but stayed in the bay and took human form to help expand
Vietnam.
The jewels that the dragons spat out became the islands and islets of the bay, which was named Ha Long, meaning "descending dragon," in honour of the Mother Dragon and her children who helped defend the Vietnamese."
And so ends the mythical legend of Halong Bay.
2 comments:
A good "Once upon a time ....." story and very interesting.
I think every culture has their myths and legends to explain things. Linda
Post a Comment