There are neither Vietnamese tales nor legends without this fabulous and mythical animal that is commonly called Con Rồng or more literary Con Long (or the Dragon in English). It makes part of the four animals with supernatural power ( Tứ Linh) and occupies the top place. It is frequently used in Vietnamese art. It is not only seen in pagodas, but also on the ridges of roofs, the beams of frames, furnitures, the pieces of dishes and fabrics. It is also the emblematic animal traditionally chosen by the emperor for his clothes. Properly speaking, the Vietnamese people do not adore it but they see in it a supernatural power and blessings. This winged, powerful and fire spitting animal is also regarded as a key element of the Vietnamese mythology.

All Vietnamese firmly believe they are descendents of the Dragon king Lạc Long Quân coming from the Waters and of the fairy Âu Cơ of terrestrial origins. From this union, the fairy laid one hundred eggs that gave birth to one hundred robust sons. Later, at the separation of the couple, fifty of them followed their father Dragon toward the lower coastal regions and founded the first Vietnamese nation named Văn Lang while the other fifty followed their terrestrial mother toward the high plains to give birth later to an ethnic microcosm the most complex in the world ( about fifty groups ). Although this version of the Seven Tribes of Israel is unbridled and poetic, it nevertheless allows the Vietnamese and other minority groups to live together somewhat peacefully in this country of the form of the dragon, and to unite as a sole person to overcome foreign aggressors in difficult moments of their history.

According to a Vietnamese legend, it was thanks to the return of a benefactor dragon that barbarous hordes coming from the North were routed. Its fire spitting tongues on contact with the sea turned into a multitude of small islands and reefs with extravagant forms. That is why this bay is known in Vietnamese as "Hạ Long" or ( Descending Dragon ). It becomes thus the eighth marvel of the world and a natural site the most visited by foreign tourists when they land in Vietnam.

The dragon is seen everywhere even in the Mekong delta. This river born in the foothills of the Himalayas ( Tibet ) divides into nine branches or nine dragons to throw itself in the golf of Cochinchina ( or Nam Bộ ). That is why this region is called Cửu Long ( or Nine Dragons in English).

It was also seen in a dream by emperor Lý Thái Tổ, which enabled him to transfer his capital to the locality of Ðại La that geomancers deemed favorable as a shelter from the waters of the deadly Red river. That is why the capital Hanoi was known at a time as Thăng Long ( Ascending Dragon ).
The dragon is also the symbol of the King. That is why its feet must have five claws. If one sees a dragon with five claws on a furniture, a box or a china, this object is meant for the service of the emperor. Otherwise the dragon generally has only four claws.

It is also the symbol of the husband, the fiance and more generally the man. As for the woman, she is represented by the phenix. That is why when we want to make allusion to a marriage, we often associate a dragon with a phenix on a piece of embroidery or a sculpted panel. It is also this association that poets evoke in their poems to talk about marital happiness and shared joy.

If this marine monster is rebutted by the majority of the peoples, it is on the contrary a part of the daily Vietnamese. It is assigned to keep an watchful eye, at the imperial city of Huế, on the tombs of the Nguyễn emperors with all its body made of multicolored ceramic pieces. Golden, it coils around the carmine lacquered pillars of imperial palaces. It is one of the twelve astrological signs of the lunar calendar. It becomes not only the embroided silk clothes for tourists but also a front part sign with gaudy colors on the junks of the Ha. Long bay.

In the cradle of legends which our Vietnam is, we have the feeling of being better protected by this marine monster because of the conviction that we are the descendents of king Dragon


Copied from http://www.limsi.fr/Recherche/CIG/edragon.htm

i kno the story w/o reading it con ro^`ng cha'u tie^n !!

Psh... show me one reference to a "winged and fire spitting" dragon in Vietnamese history

Only the Western dragon has wings and spit fires

I did not write it. I realised it as well but I'm preserving the writer's integrity by not tampering with it.

So you are deliberately spreading information that you realize is false or questionable at best?

While you're at it, why don't you also post some articles about how the world is flat

What kind of an idiot are you?

I think you're just trying to start an argument with everything I say rather than being constructive.

You post false information and you call me an idiot?

Vietnamese are not qualified to be called as 'dragon people'

Oh here we go again. Chinese supremacist mentality.

The world is flat.

LOL Tetsu.

dragons are symbols of Chinese people, not of dogs

stop insulting

Let's not sink to NQSH's level and insult.

Dragon is the symbol of the Han Chinese, not Vietnamese. Women cai shi zhende 'Long de Chuanren'

Well thank you for telling us that. We're southern barbarians, and now dogs.

ahem.. SHUT THAT GOD DAM HOLE OF YOURS!!!

I know later on Manchu also started to worship dragons, perhaps they were Han-ized. Anyway...

you just made one of the nicest vietnamese people mad

Yes, please do not sink to kulong's level of stupidity nor his Chinese supremacist mentality.

And who are you to say that Chinese own the exclusive use of the Dragon?

We are the ones who civilized you.

Go to study your fu-king history before you talk.

We don't own the "exclusive use of the dragon" How can you place a copyright on a cultural symbol like that? Baichi...

I'm sure even you know that the symbol of dragon was originally Chinese until others copied, kind of like how many countries copy the U.S. today.

Look at your own stupid article

wat different does it make??.. this legend was long long time ago.. wat make u think it's the Chinese that own the dragon. for god sake it's just a dragon.

Do you even understand English?

I hold most of the AF Forum Chinese members in good regard, but I have to say frankly that your recent comments have been disgraceful.

The difference being that Vietnamese copied from Chinese. But of course, the "Vietnamese version" would be that "Chinese forced the Vietnamese to adopt dragon" lol

Chinese don't "own" the dragon. But Vietnamese claiming to be "people of the dragon" is like Russian claiming to be "people of the American eagle"

It may be "just a dragon" to you people but to us, the dragon is something of great value.

If I don’t understand English, how can I join this forum?

And who are you to say that



What you are effectively saying is that we cannot use it because it is not our symbol.

Such thick headedness.

"dragons are symbols of Chinese people, not of dogs "


ay ya, this is too tempting...should i? nah...i don't wanna be racist

You have been warned for inappropriate and racist comments.

-Norm

Your level of English comprehension is questionable.

Some of my friend from from mainland China said that Taiwanese were arrogant. I never believed them, but Kulong and the guy with the funny character prove this generalization truer everyday . Strange that two guys on the AF who consistently act arrogant and have very bad narrow-minded mentality are not from the PRC but from Taiwan. Or maybe not so strange.

Did I ever say "Vietnamese can't use the dragon"? Just because you like to put things in your mouth, it doesn't mean I do too

If you use it, you are copying us, like many countries around the world copying the U.S. Which is fine by me except your silly little article claims that the dragon belongs to the Vietnamese and that Vietnam is "the land of the dragon people"

I do admit my English bad. But, how about yours?

How is telling the truth being arrogant?

Do you honestly believe Vietnamese created the dragon?

oh no.. we wanna b just like u.. ..anyway, the vietnamese version sounds more reasonable.. honestly u can only control someone's action.. and not wat's in his heart or soul.

how funny is it that a Chinese speaking for the Vietnamese people and say what he thinks the Vietnamese people think.



Is it that you're thick or I don't understand you? Vietnamese has been associated with the dragon since the dawn of our history. Russians have nothing to do with the American eagle. Are you being stupid or what?



Where on earth did we say that we created the dragon? Do you even use your head? We are simply associating our people with the dragon.

Hahaha the "Vietnamese version" sounds more reasonable? Typical

Since you guys were "forced" to adopt every aspect of Chinese culture, why don't you "de-Sinicize" yourself then?


I've observed and studied your people long enough to know how you think.


Dawn of your history? Hahahaha... if you consider the "dawn of your history" your first encounter with Han Chinese then maybe.


If you are "associating" your people with the dragon then you are associating yourselves with a Chinese symbol, not Vietnamese

THis is why you're arrogant. Not only that but extreme nationalist who belittles others.

It’s just a dragon.

Please, the last thing we want is a Chinese supremacist to tell us what to do.

We, unlike certain people, adopt what is good and disregard what is bad. As such we don't have a mentality that we are better than certain people or that we are the civilised and others are barbarians.

That's right after we started "influencing" you and presenting you our culture, including dragons.

Please include the names along with the quotes

You're right. It is just a dragon, but wouldn't you be offended if someone call your people dogs?


Guy with Funny characters (arrogant Taiwanese) :

I am not denying that. However, you people seem to deny our use of the dragon because we are not worthy of it, we are only dogs as some Chinese would put it.

Before that we tatooed myth animals, some claimed it as vietnamese dragons, to scare away "monsters" in the sea when fishing.

Chinese people call tattooing babarian, and was written in chinese records.

http://www.szgdocent.org/cc/c-dragon.htm

There were already dragon engravings in the early Bronze Age on many old Vietnamese artifacts. I'll provide the site later. Give me time.

Just to make things clear, because some Vietnamese members here enjoy manipulating our words... We won't mention NQSH's name of course.

The Eastern Dragon was originally a Chinese symbol, clear and simple. It is the Chinese who believe we are "Long de Chuanren" (Descedents of the Dragon).

It's fine that Vietnamese copy us because it isn't like Chinese have never been influenced by anyone else before. However, we have a problem with Vietnamese claiming the dragon as their own.

drunk_on_tea - there are no real evidence on that website, just bunch of words

LOL your first sentence just show me how much of an idiot you are. Yes I won't mention someone's name but his name is...

You claim yourselves to be descendants of the dragon so we Vietnamese cannot claim it? We are the Con Rong Chau Tien (Descendants of the Dragon and Fairy).

No one is claiming the dragon as their own. We claim that we are the descendants of the dragon people and that we have always been associated with the dragon. Only certain people of which I won't mention his name like kulong and the guy with funny characters claim it as their own and that we are not worthy of it because we are dogs.

And kulong, its so easy to dismiss other people's evidence because they are non-Chinese.

Thought you said provide me one reference, so I did. I thought you didn't trust the author in NQSH's post so here's another one. If you wanted a scholarly reference, then I'll try my best.