"Ha Long" means "descending dragon". According to a local legend, long time ago in the early days of Vietnam, a family of dragons descended from the skies to protect the Vietnamese from foreign invaders. They spit out giant pieces of jade, emerald and other jewels into the sea, to form a protective barrier against naval attacks. Those grew into the 2,000 islands that form today's Ha Long Bay 馃嚮馃嚦
