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Vietnamese dragons ( vi, Rồng; ; Sino-Vietnamese: ''Long''; ) are symbolic creatures in Vietnamese
folklore Folklore is shared by a particular group of people; it encompasses the traditions common to that culture, subculture or group. This includes oral traditions such as tales, legends, proverbs and jokes. They include material culture, rangin ...
and
mythology Myth is a folklore genre consisting of narratives that play a fundamental role in a society, such as foundational tales or origin myths. Since "myth" is widely used to imply that a story is not objectively true, the identification of a narra ...
. According to an ancient
origin myth An origin myth is a myth that describes the origin of some feature of the natural or social world. One type of origin myth is the creation or cosmogonic myth, a story that describes the creation of the world. However, many cultures have st ...
, the
Vietnamese people The Vietnamese people ( vi, người Việt, lit=Viet people) or Kinh people ( vi, người Kinh) are a Southeast Asian ethnic group native to modern-day Northern Vietnam and Southern China (Jing Islands, Dongxing, Guangxi). The native la ...
are descended from a dragon and a fairy. The dragon was symbolic of bringing rain, essential for agriculture. It represents the emperor, the prosperity and power of the nation. Similar to the
Chinese dragon The Chinese dragon, also known as ''loong'', ''long'' or ''lung'', is a legendary creature in Chinese mythology, Chinese folklore, and Chinese culture at large. Chinese dragons have many Outline of life forms, animal-like forms such as Bixi (my ...
(which has also influenced and appeared in
Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the n ...
and
Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic ...
as fierce but benevolent serpentine dragons alike), the Vietnamese dragon is the symbol of yang, representing the universe, life, existence, and growth.


The creation legend

Lạc Long Quân Lạc Long Quân (Chữ Hán:貉龍君; "Dragon King of Lạc"; also called Sùng Lãm 崇纜) is a semi-mythical king of the Hồng Bàng dynasty of ancient Vietnam. Quân was the son of Kinh Dương Vương, the king of Xích Quỷ. He is the ...
, king of the dragonkind living near the Đông sea, married a fairy
goddess A goddess is a female deity. In many known cultures, goddesses are often linked with literal or metaphorical pregnancy or imagined feminine roles associated with how women and girls are perceived or expected to behave. This includes themes ...
,
Âu Cơ Âu Cơ (Chữ Hán: ; ) was, according to the creation myth of the Vietnamese people, an immortal mountain snow fairy who married Lạc Long Quân (), and bore an egg sac that hatched a hundred children known collectively as Bách Việt, ancest ...
who was the daughter of the birdkind emperor Đế Lai, descendant of Thần Nông. Âu Cơ bore 100 eggs, which hatched into 100 sons. The first-born son became the king of
Lạc Việt The Lạc Việt or Luoyue ( or ; pinyin: ''Luòyuè'' ← Middle Chinese: *''lɑk̚-ɦʉɐt̚'' ← Old Chinese *''râk-wat'') was a group of multilinguistic, specifically Kra-Dai and Austroasiatic, tribal peoples that inhabited ancient northe ...
, the first dynasty of
Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making ...
, and proclaimed himself Emperor Hùng Vương. The First was followed by Hùng Vương The Second, Hùng Vương The Third and so on, through 18 reigns. This is the origin of the Vietnamese proverb: "Con Rồng, cháu Tiên" (Descendants of Dragon and Immortal, lit. ''"Children of Dragon, Grandchildren of Immortal"'').


Historical development of Vietnamese dragon's image


Prehistory

The Vietnamese dragon is the combined image of crocodile, snake, cat, rat and bird. Historically, the Vietnamese people lived near rivers, so they venerated crocodiles as "thuồng luồng" or "Giao Long", the first kind of Vietnamese dragon. There are some kinds of dragons found on archaeological objects. One group is that of the crocodile-dragons, with the head of a crocodile and the body of a snake. The cat-dragon excavated on a glazed terracotta piece in
Bắc Ninh Bắc Ninh () is a city in the northern part of Vietnam and is the capital of Bắc Ninh province. The city is the cultural, administrative and commercial center of the province. The city area is 82.60 square km, with a population of 501,199 in N ...
has some features of
Đại Việt Đại Việt (, ; literally Great Việt), often known as Annam ( vi, An Nam, Chữ Hán: 安南), was a monarchy in eastern Mainland Southeast Asia from the 10th century AD to the early 19th century, centered around the region of present-day H ...
period dragon: it does not have a crocodile head, its head is shorter and it has a long neck, its wing and backfin are long lines, and its whiskers and fur are found in the Đại Việt dragon image.


Ngô dynasty (938–965)

On the brick from this period found in Cổ Loa, the dragon is short, with a cat-like body and a fish's backfin.


Lý dynasty (1010–1225)

The
Lý dynasty The Lý dynasty ( vi, Nhà Lý, , chữ Nôm: 茹李, chữ Hán: 李朝, Hán Việt: ''Lý triều'') was a Vietnamese dynasty that existed from 1009 to 1225. It was established by Lý Công Uẩn when he overthrew the Early Lê dynasty an ...
is the dynasty which laid the foundation of Vietnamese
feudal Feudalism, also known as the feudal system, was the combination of the legal, economic, military, cultural and political customs that flourished in medieval Europe between the 9th and 15th centuries. Broadly defined, it was a way of structur ...
culture. Buddhism was widespread and Văn Miếu, the nation's first university, was created. The slender, flowing dragon of this period represents the vassal kingdom. These dragons rounded bodies curve lithely, in a long sinuous shape, tapering gradually to the tail. The body has 12 sections, symbolizing 12 months in the year. On the dragon's back are small, uninterrupted, regular fins. The head, held high, is in proportion with the body, and has a long mane, beard, prominent eyes, crest on nose (pointing forwards), but no horns. The legs are small and thin, and usually 3-toed. The jaw is opened wide, with a long, thin tongue; the dragons always keep a ''châu'' (gem/jewel) in their mouths (a symbol of humanity, nobility and knowledge). These dragons are able to change the weather, and are responsible for crops.


Trần dynasty (1225–1400)

The
Trần dynasty The Trần dynasty, ( Vietnamese: Nhà Trần, chữ Nôm: 茹陳)also known as the House of Trần, was a Vietnamese dynasty that ruled over the Kingdom of Đại Việt from 1225 to 1400. The dynasty was founded when emperor Trần Thá ...
dragon was similar to that of the
Lý dynasty The Lý dynasty ( vi, Nhà Lý, , chữ Nôm: 茹李, chữ Hán: 李朝, Hán Việt: ''Lý triều'') was a Vietnamese dynasty that existed from 1009 to 1225. It was established by Lý Công Uẩn when he overthrew the Early Lê dynasty an ...
but looked more rugged. The Trần dragon had new details: arms and horns. Its fiery crest became shorter. Its slightly curved body became fat and smaller toward the tail. There are many kinds of tail (straight and pointed tail, spiral tail) as well as many kinds of scale (a regular half-flower scale, slightly curved scale). The Trần dragon symbolized the
martial arts Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defense; military and law enforcement applications; competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; and the preser ...
, because the Trần emperors were descended from a mandarin commander. The Trần era was also marked by a series of devastating invasions by the
Mongol The Mongols ( mn, Монголчууд, , , ; ; russian: Монголы) are an East Asian ethnic group native to Mongolia, Inner Mongolia in China and the Buryatia Republic of the Russian Federation. The Mongols are the principal member ...
followed by repeated incursions by
Champa Champa ( Cham: ꨌꩌꨛꨩ; km, ចាម្ប៉ា; vi, Chiêm Thành or ) were a collection of independent Cham polities that extended across the coast of what is contemporary central and southern Vietnam from approximately the 2nd ...
.


Lê-Mạc dynasty

In this period, the Vietnamese dragon's image was evolved into typical form of Vietnam's dragons. Differing from those of the previous dynasty, dragons in this age are not only represented in a curved posture among clouds but also in others. These dragons were majestic, with lion-heads. Instead of a fiery crest, they have a large nose. Their bodies only curve in two sections. Their feet have five sharp claws. File:Ngulongmon4.JPG, One of four dragons in front of ''Ngu Long Mon'' of
Lý Bát Đế Shrine LY or ly may refer to: Government and politics * Libya (ISO 3166-1 country code LY) * Lý dynasty, a Vietnamese dynasty * Labour Youth of Ireland * Legislative Yuan, the unicameral legislature of the Republic of China (Taiwan) Science and t ...
, Lê dynasty File:BinhRongMac.jpg, Dragons on a Mạc dynasty oil lamp base File:Dragon (Le dynasty, Vietnam).jpg, Dragons of Kính Thiên Palace, main hall of the Lê dynasty Imperial Palace


Nguyễn dynasty

The dragon form of Nguyễn dynasty is the typical dragon of Vietnamese. The dragon is represented with a spiral tail and a long fiery sword-fin. Its head and eyes are large. It has stag horns, a lion's nose, exposed
canine teeth In mammalian oral anatomy, the canine teeth, also called cuspids, dog teeth, or (in the context of the upper jaw) fangs, eye teeth, vampire teeth, or vampire fangs, are the relatively long, pointed teeth. They can appear more flattened howeve ...
, regular flash scale, curved whiskers. Images of the Dragon of the emperor have 5 claws, was also decorated on the crown-prince's gown in motif of "dragon's face" with 4 claws. Dragons of Nguyễn dynasty represent the powerful southern emperors with glory and honor.


Dragons in literature

Some proverbs and sayings mention dragons but imply something else: "Rồng gặp mây": "Like dragons greeting clouds" – favorable conditions. "Đầu rồng, đuôi tôm": "A dragon's head but a shrimp's tail" – something which starts well but ends badly. "Rồng bay, phượng múa": "The dragon flies and the phoenix dances!" – Used to praise someone's
calligraphy Calligraphy (from el, link=y, καλλιγραφία) is a visual art related to writing. It is the design and execution of lettering with a pen, ink brush, or other writing instrument. Contemporary calligraphic practice can be defined ...
who writes Hán-Nôm
ideogram An ideogram or ideograph (from Greek "idea" and "to write") is a graphic symbol that represents an idea or concept, independent of any particular language, and specific words or phrases. Some ideograms are comprehensible only by famili ...
s well. "Rồng đến nhà tôm": "The dragon visits the shrimp's house" – A saying used to dictate behavior between a host and their guest: the host must portray themselves like a humble shrimp and their guest like a noble dragon. "Ăn như rồng cuốn, nói như rồng leo, làm như mèo mửa": "You consume like a coiled dragon, you talk like a climbing dragon, but your work is like cat's vomit" – A criticism of someone who talks the talk, but does not walk the walk.


Vietnamese place-names, and other things, named after dragons

Hanoi Hanoi or Ha Noi ( or ; vi, Hà Nội ) is the capital and second-largest city of Vietnam. It covers an area of . It consists of 12 urban districts, one district-leveled town and 17 rural districts. Located within the Red River Delta, Hanoi i ...
(Vietnamese: Hà Nội), the capital of Vietnam, was known in ancient times as
Thăng Long Hanoi or Ha Noi ( or ; vi, Hà Nội ) is the capital and second-largest city of Vietnam. It covers an area of . It consists of 12 urban districts, one district-leveled town and 17 rural districts. Located within the Red River Delta, Hanoi i ...
(
Chữ Hán Chữ Hán (𡨸漢, literally "Chinese characters", ), Chữ Nho (𡨸儒, literally "Confucian characters", ) or Hán tự (漢字, ), is the Vietnamese term for Chinese characters, used to write Văn ngôn (which is a form of Classical Chinese ...
: 昇龍 (from ''Thăng 昇'', meaning "to grow, to develop, to rise, to fly, or to ascend" and ''Long 龍'', meaning "dragon")); the capital is still referred to by this name in literature. In 1010, Emperor Lý Thái Tổ moved the capital from
Hoa Lư Hoa Lư was the capital of Vietnam from 968 to 1009. It lies in Trường Yên Thượng village, Hoa Lư District, Ninh Bình Province. The area is one of ricefields broken by limestone mountains, and is approximately 90 km south of Han ...
to
Đại La Đại La (), means ''the Citadel of the Great Dike'', or La Thành (羅城, means ''the Citadel of the Dike'') was an ancient fortified city in present-day Hanoi during the third Chinese domination of the 7th and 8th centuries, and again in the 11 ...
, which decision was explained in his Chiếu dời đô (Royal proclamation of moving capital): he saw a Rồng vàng (golden dragon) fly around on the clear blue sky, so he changed the name of Đại La to Thăng Long, meaning "Vietnam's bright and developed future". Furthermore, one of Thăng Long Four Defense Deity (Vietnamese: ''Thăng Long Tứ Trấn'') is Long Đỗ Deity (literally: dragon's navel- where is the center, the place that Earth and Sky meet each other- according to orient's view, the belly has a role which is as important as the heart is in western view). Long Đỗ Deity helped Lý Thái Tổ to build Thăng Long citadel. Many place-names in Vietnam incorporate the word Long, or Rồng ("dragon" in Vietnamese):
Hạ Long Bay Hạ Long Bay or Halong Bay ( vi, Vịnh Hạ Long, ) is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and popular travel destination in Quảng Ninh Province, Vietnam. The name Hạ Long means "descending dragon". Administratively, the bay belongs to Hạ Lon ...
(vịnh Hạ Long, lit. ''"Bay of Descending Dragon"''), the section of the
Mekong The Mekong or Mekong River is a trans-boundary river in East Asia and Southeast Asia. It is the world's twelfth longest river and the third longest in Asia. Its estimated length is , and it drains an area of , discharging of water annual ...
river flowing through Vietnam contains 9 branches and is called Cửu Long ("''nine dragons''"); Hàm Rồng Bridge (lit.''"Bridge of Dragon Jaw")'',
Long Biên Bridge Long Biên Bridge ( vi, Cầu Long Biên) is a historic cantilever bridge across the Red River that connects two districts, Hoàn Kiếm and Long Biên of the city of Hanoi, Vietnam. It was originally called ''Paul Doumer Bridge''. Histor ...
. The city of Da Nang has a dragon-shaped bridge, facing the sea. Other things named after dragons include: Thanh Long (
dragonfruit A pitaya () or pitahaya () is the fruit of several different cactus species indigenous to the Americas. Pitaya usually refers to fruit of the genus ''Stenocereus'', while pitahaya or dragon fruit refers to fruit of the genus ''Selenicereus'' ...
), vòi rồng (
waterspout A waterspout is an intense columnar vortex (usually appearing as a funnel-shaped cloud) that occurs over a body of water. Some are connected to a cumulus congestus cloud, some to a cumuliform cloud and some to a cumulonimbus cloud. In the ...
), xương rồng (
Cactaceae A cactus (, or less commonly, cactus) is a member of the plant family Cactaceae, a family comprising about 127 genera with some 1750 known species of the order Caryophyllales. The word ''cactus'' derives, through Latin, from the Ancient Gre ...
), long nhãn (dragon eyes: Vietnamese cognate word for
longan ''Dimocarpus longan'', commonly known as the longan () and dragon's eye, is a tropical tree species that produces edible fruit. It is one of the better-known tropical members of the soapberry family Sapindaceae, to which the lychee and rambu ...
fruit).


Dragons as a national symbol

The Vietnamese dragon has been depicted multiple times as national symbols on flags, national emblems, and currency. File:Vietnamese Dragon blue.svg, A blue Vietnamese dragon. File:Vietnamese Dragon green.svg, A green Vietnamese dragon. File:Vietnamese Dragon gold.svg, A gold Vietnamese dragon. File:Pennon of the Nguyễn dynasty.svg, Pennon of the
Nguyễn dynasty The Nguyễn dynasty (chữ Nôm: 茹阮, vi, Nhà Nguyễn; chữ Hán: 阮朝, vi, Nguyễn triều) was the last Vietnamese dynasty, which ruled the unified Vietnamese state largely independently from 1802 to 1883. During its existence, ...
emperor. File:50 Xu - State of Vietnam (1953) 01.jpg, A 50 xu coin issued by the
State of Vietnam The State of Vietnam ( vi, Quốc gia Việt Nam; Chữ Nôm: 國家越南; french: État du Viêt-Nam) was a governmental entity in Southeast Asia that existed from 1949 until 1955, first as a member of the French Union and later as a country ...
(1953). File:Quốc huy Quốc gia Việt Nam (國徽國家越南).svg, Coat of arms of the State of Vietnam (1954-1955). File:Flag of the Vietnamese National Army.svg, Flag of the
Vietnamese National Army The Vietnamese National Army or Vietnam National Army ( vi, Quân đội Quốc gia Việt Nam, lit=Army of the State of Vietnam, french: Armée Nationale Vietnamienne, lit=Vietnamese National Army) was the State of Vietnam's military force create ...
(1954-1955). File:Coat of arms of the Republic of Vietnam (1967-75).svg,
South Vietnam South Vietnam, officially the Republic of Vietnam ( vi, Việt Nam Cộng hòa), was a state in Southeast Asia that existed from 1955 to 1975, the period when the southern portion of Vietnam was a member of the Western Bloc during part of th ...
's coat of arms from 1967 to 1975. File:Vietnamese Five Colours Flag with golden dragon.svg, Vietnamese Five Colours Flag with dragon


See also

*
Vietnamese mythology Vietnamese mythology ( vi, Thần thoại Việt Nam 神話越南) comprises national myths, legends or fairy tales from the Vietnamese people with aspects of folk religion in Vietnam. Vietnamese folklore and oral traditions may have also been infl ...
* Bhutanese Druk *
Chinese dragon The Chinese dragon, also known as ''loong'', ''long'' or ''lung'', is a legendary creature in Chinese mythology, Chinese folklore, and Chinese culture at large. Chinese dragons have many Outline of life forms, animal-like forms such as Bixi (my ...
*
Japanese dragon Japanese dragons (, ''Nihon no ryū'') are diverse legendary creatures in Japanese mythology and folklore. Japanese dragon myths amalgamate native legends with imported stories about dragons from China, Korea and the Indian subcontinent. The ...
*
Korean dragon Korean dragons are legendary creatures in Korean mythology and folklore. The appearance of the dragon reflects its relation to its East Asian counterparts, including the Chinese dragons. Korean dragons Whereas most dragons in European mytholo ...


References

{{reflist


External links

*Dragon's Ly dynasty in 3D
Rong Thoi Ly
Dragons Vietnamese legendary creatures National symbols of Vietnam