| Bay
of the Descending Dragon 
There is a Vietnamese fable about the creation of Halong Bay. It says that the
gods, seeing an invading Navy approaching the bay, sent down dragons to drive
off the invaders and protect the local people. The gigantic behemoths smashed
up the rocks around the bay with their tails and stopped the attack - leaving
behind over three thousand rocky islands and outcroppings straggled across the
bay. Science, however, says that the limestone and dolomite karsts were created
by the twin powers of wind and seawater eroding the rock over a period of millions
of years - which sounds almost as impressive as the dragon theory.
Whichever
you choose to believe, the rocks of Halong Bay, scattered over 1,500 square km,
are a remarkable natural wonder, which is why UNESCO was prompted to name it one
of its World Nature Heritage sites in 1994. Several of the karsts are hollow and
are riddled with caves and grottoes, some of which have been turned into Buddhist
shrines, while others are studies in the wonderment of nature alone. From outside
the different shapes and sizes of the karsts and islands have inspired local fisherman
to give many of them names for the animals and objects they most closely represent.
Crocodile, Dragon, Elephant, Fighting Cock, Head of Buffalo, Neck of Horse, Black
Cloud and Teapot, among others, can The area has also played
host to two major Vietnamese sea victories, in the 10 and 13th centuries, against
large Chinese navies of several hundred vessels. As the navies approached the
estuary to the Bac Dang River, their ships were wrecked upon thousands of submerged,
iron-tipped, spikes - like the teeth of a dragon. 
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