Vietnamese dragons (; ; Sino-Vietnamese: Long; ) are symbolic creatures in Vietnamese folklore and mythology. According to an ancient origin myth, the Vietnamese people are descended from a dragon and an Immortal. 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 (which has also influenced and appeared in Japan and Korea as fierce but benevolent serpentine dragons alike), the Vietnamese dragon is the symbol of yang, representing the universe, life, existence, and growth.
Lạc Long Quân, king of the dragonkind living near the ÃÂông sea, married a fairy goddess, ÃÂu Cá who was the daughter of the birdkind emperor ÃÂế Lai, descendant of Thần Nông. ÃÂu Cá bore 100 eggs, which hatched into 100 sons. The first-born son became the king of Lạc Viá»Ât, the first dynasty of Vietnam, and proclaimed himself Emperor Hùng Vðáng. The First was followed by Hùng Vðáng The Second, Hùng Vðáng The Third and so on, through 18 reigns. This is the origin of the Vietnamese proverb: "Con Rá»Âng, cháu Tiên" (Descendants of Dragon and Immortal, lit. "Children of Dragon, Grandchildren of Immortal").
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 "thuá»Âng luá»Âng" 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 has some features of ÃÂại Viá»Ât 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 ÃÂại Viá»Ât dragon image.
On the brick from this period found in Cá» Loa, the dragon is short, with a cat-like body and a fish's backfin.
The Lý dynasty is the dynasty which laid the foundation of Vietnamese feudal culture. Buddhism was widespread and VÃÂn 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.
The Trần dynasty dragon was similar to that of the Lý dynasty 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, 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 followed by repeated incursions by Champa.
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.
The dragon form of Nguyá» n 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, 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 Nguyá» n dynasty represent the powerful southern emperors with glory and honor.
Some proverbs and sayings mention dragons but imply something else:
"Rá»Âng gặp mây": "Like dragons greeting clouds" â favorable conditions.
"ÃÂầu rá»Âng, ÃÂuôi tôm": "A dragon's head but a shrimp's tail" â something which starts well but ends badly.
"Rá»Âng bay, phðợng múa": "The dragon flies and the phoenix dances!" â Used to praise someone's calligraphy who writes Hán-Nôm ideograms well.
"Rá»Âng ÃÂến nhàtôm": "The dragon visits the shrimp's house" â 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.
"ÃÂn nhð rá»Âng cuá»Ân, nói nhð rá»Âng leo, làm nhð mèo má»Âa": "You consume like a coiled dragon, you talk like a climbing dragon, but your work is like cat's vomit" â A criticism of someone who talks the talk, but does not walk the walk.
Hanoi (Vietnamese: HàNá»Âi), the capital of Vietnam, was known in ancient times as ThÃÂng Long (Chữ Hán: æÂÂé¾ (from ThÃÂng æÂÂ, meaning "to grow, to develop, to rise, to fly, or to ascend" and Long é¾Â, meaning "dragon")); the capital is still referred to by this name in literature. In 1010, Emperor Lý Thái Tá» moved the capital from Hoa Lð to ÃÂại La, which decision was explained in his Chiếu dá»Âi ÃÂô (Royal proclamation of moving capital): he saw a Rá»Âng vàng (golden dragon) fly around on the clear blue sky, so he changed the name of ÃÂại La to ThÃÂng Long, meaning "Vietnam's bright and developed future". Furthermore, one of ThÃÂng Long Four Defense Deity (Vietnamese: ThÃÂng Long Tứ Trấn) is Long ÃÂá» 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 ÃÂá» Deity helped Lý Thái Tá» to build ThÃÂng Long citadel.
Many place-names in Vietnam incorporate the word Long, or Rá»Âng ("dragon" in Vietnamese): Hạ Long Bay (vá»Ânh Hạ Long, lit. "Bay of Descending Dragon"), the section of the Mekong river flowing through Vietnam contains 9 branches and is called Cá»Âu Long ("nine dragons"); Hàm Rá»Âng Bridge (lit."Bridge of Dragon Jaw"), Long Biên Bridge. The city of Da Nang has a dragon-shaped bridge, facing the sea. Other things named after dragons include: Thanh Long (dragonfruit), vòi rá»Âng (waterspout), xðáng rá»Âng (Cactaceae), long nhãn (dragon eyes: Vietnamese cognate word for longan fruit).
The Vietnamese dragon has been depicted multiple times as national symbols on flags, national emblems, and currency.