Beyond the limestone islands and emerald waters of northeastern Vietnam lies a name preserved in historical nautical records: Fai Tsi Long.
Today, travelers know this remarkable seascape as Bai Tu Long Bay, a quieter neighbor of Ha Long Bay. Yet nineteenth-century French nautical charts reveal another chapter of its maritime history, when the surrounding waters were surveyed, mapped and recorded under names that have since changed.
The story of Fai Tsi Long is more than a question of spelling. It opens a window into the history of navigation, coastal communities and the relationship between Vietnam and the sea.
What Does Fai Tsi Long Mean?
The name Fai Tsi Long appears in French-language historical records associated with the northeastern coast of Vietnam.
It is closely associated geographically with the area now known as Bai Tu Long Bay. However, its exact linguistic relationship to the modern Vietnamese name requires further historical and philological investigation.
The distinction matters.
Historical maps often recorded Vietnamese place names through foreign transcription systems. Spellings could vary between surveyors, publications and periods.
For Fai Tsi Long, surviving records provide evidence of historical usage, but they do not yet establish a definitive original Chinese-character form or the precise process by which the name was transcribed.
What can be established is that Fai Tsi Long was recorded in historical maritime documentation, long before its appearance in the modern name Emperor Cruises Legacy Fai Tsi Long.
Fai Tsi Long on French Nautical Charts
One of the most significant records comes from a French nautical chart surveyed in 1881.
The chart, titled Chenaux et mouillages entre les baies de Ha-long, Hone-Gay et Faï-Tsi-Long, was surveyed by French naval officers Escande and Loyer and published by the Dépôt des Cartes et Plans de la Marine in 1884.
Preserved in the cartographic catalogue of Spain’s Instituto Geográfico Nacional under reference 44-G-42, the chart provides documentary evidence of the spelling Faï-Tsi-Long in nineteenth-century French maritime records.
Tonkin. Le Delta — A historical map by Paul Pelet, published in 1902 from an 1898 survey, featuring an inset of Ha Long Bay, Cat Ba, and the area historically recorded as Baie de Faï-Tsi-Long.
Another chart from 1884 refers to the Grande Baie de Faï-Tsi-Long, further demonstrating the use of this form in French maritime cartography.
These documents were created for practical navigation. Their purpose was to describe coastal geography, channels and anchorages rather than preserve local folklore.
For that reason, they are particularly valuable evidence of historical place-name usage.
They do not, however, prove that the French spelling was the earliest or only historical name for the bay.
A HISTORICAL DISTINCTION: FAÏ-TSI-LONG BAY AND ARCHIPELAGO
An interesting detail in historical maritime records is that the name Faï-Tsi-Long was not used exclusively for a bay.
French nautical charts also recorded Archipel des Faï-Tsi-Long, meaning the Faï-Tsi-Long Archipelago, alongside references such as Grande Baie de Faï-Tsi-Long, meaning the Great Bay of Faï-Tsi-Long.
These terms describe different geographical features. In French maritime terminology, baie refers to a bay, while archipel refers to a group of islands.
The distinction becomes particularly interesting when exploring the history of Long Chau Archipelago, off the coast of Hai Phong.
Historical references also associate the French name Archipel des Fai Tsi Long, sometimes accompanied by Griffes du Dragon (Dragon’s Claws), with the Long Chau islands, home to the historic Long Chau Lighthouse.
Built during the French colonial period, the lighthouse became an important navigational landmark for vessels travelling through the Gulf of Tonkin.
However, historical charts also applied the archipelago name to wider groups of islands along Vietnam’s northeastern coast. It would therefore be inaccurate to assume that every reference to Archipel des Faï-Tsi-Long identifies Long Chau alone.
For readers exploring the origins of Fai Tsi Long, this distinction is important: the historical name could refer to a bay or an archipelago, depending on the document and its geographical context.
Understanding these differences allows us to appreciate the complexity of nineteenth-century maritime cartography without confusing the modern destinations of Bai Tu Long Bay and Long Chau Archipelago.
From Faï-Tsi-Long to Bai Tu Long Bay
The historical name continued to appear in later documentation.
A photograph dated June 1950, attributed to Georges Azambre, is preserved in the ASEMI collection at Université Côte d’Azur.
Its archival title reads Cam Pha, juin 1950. – Vue de la baie de Fai Tsi Long au Col des Cerfs.
The record, catalogued as PH32-37, provides another example of the spelling Fai Tsi Long in a twentieth-century archival context.
Across the surviving references, several forms can therefore be identified:
| Recorded name | Historical or geographical context |
|---|---|
| Grande Baie de Faï-Tsi-Long | Bay named in nineteenth-century French nautical charts |
| Archipel des Faï-Tsi-Long | Archipelago designation in historical maritime records |
| Archipel des Fai Tsi Long | Historical name also associated with Long Chau Archipelago |
| Fai Tsi Long | Twentieth-century archival references |
| Bai Tu Long Bay | Contemporary English geographical name |
| Vịnh Bái Tử Long | Contemporary Vietnamese geographical name |
The geographical connection is compelling, but the history of the name should not be reduced to a simple statement that one spelling directly became another.
A complete explanation would require further comparison of original maps, Vietnamese historical texts and linguistic evidence.
Bai Tu Long Bay and the Maritime History of Van Don
Long before European surveyors mapped these waters, the northeastern coast of Vietnam was already connected to regional maritime trade.
One of its most important historical landmarks was Van Don Trading Port.
According to historical information published by the Quang Ninh provincial authorities, Van Don was established in 1149 during the reign of King Ly Anh Tong, becoming an important center of maritime commerce for Dai Viet.
Its network of trading locations was associated with islands and waterways in the region that includes present-day Bai Tu Long Bay.
Merchants, vessels and goods moved through these coastal routes over successive centuries.
The islands provided sheltered waters, while their position along the northeastern coastline supported connections between Vietnam and other parts of Asia.
Quan Lan, in particular, retains historical associations with the ancient trading-port system.
This history gives Bai Tu Long Bay significance beyond its scenery.
The region was not simply a landscape to admire. It formed part of a maritime world shaped by trade, navigation, coastal settlement and the protection of sea routes.
Importantly, the founding of Van Don in 1149 does not establish that the name Fai Tsi Long or Bai Tu Long was already in use at that time.
The history of a place and the documented history of its name are related, but distinct questions.
The Legend of Bai Tu Long Bay
Alongside its maritime history, Bai Tu Long Bay is associated with one of northern Vietnam’s best-known legendary traditions: the story of dragons descending to protect the land.
In commonly retold versions, a Mother Dragon and her children descend from the heavens to help defend the Vietnamese people.
The dragons release jewels that become islands and rocky formations, creating a natural barrier against invaders.
The Mother Dragon is associated with Ha Long, while the young dragons are connected with Bai Tu Long.
The story gives the limestone seascape a powerful symbolic meaning, connecting the landscape with protection, family and the relationship between the Vietnamese people and their homeland.
Yet this remains folklore, not a documented historical event.
The earliest written source for the specific Mother Dragon–Young Dragons version has not been established in the research presented here.
Its value lies in cultural imagination and oral tradition, rather than in proving the geographical name’s historical origin.
Discovering the Natural Landscape of Fai Tsi Long Bay
Beyond its historical records and legends, the landscape itself remains extraordinary.
Bai Tu Long Bay stretches across a seascape of limestone formations, sheltered waters and islands along Vietnam’s northeastern coast.
The character of the bay changes throughout the day.
Morning light reveals the outlines of distant islands. Passing clouds create shadows across the cliffs. From the water, limestone formations rise dramatically above the surrounding sea.
The bay also offers opportunities for experiences such as kayaking, cave exploration and discovering aspects of local coastal life, depending on the selected route and operating conditions.
These landscapes help explain why the region continues to attract travelers seeking a quieter encounter with northeastern Vietnam.
But understanding the history behind the scenery adds another dimension to the journey.
The islands become more than beautiful formations.
They belong to a landscape with centuries of human activity and a documented history of maritime exploration.
Emperor Cruises Legacy Fai Tsi Long: A Name Connected to Maritime Heritage
The name Emperor Cruises Legacy Fai Tsi Long brings a historical geographical expression into the identity of a contemporary boutique cruise.
The existence of Fai Tsi Long in archival records provides a meaningful historical reference for interpreting the name.
However, the precise reasons behind the company’s naming decision should be distinguished from the historical evidence itself.
Emperor Cruises draws inspiration from the elegance and cultural atmosphere associated with Vietnam’s imperial past, particularly the era of Emperor Bao Dai.
That artistic inspiration should not be interpreted as evidence that Bao Dai personally visited Bai Tu Long Bay.
Instead, the relationship between the ship and its destination can be understood through two complementary perspectives: the artistic character of the vessel and the maritime heritage of the waters it explores.
Against Bai Tu Long Bay’s monumental limestone landscape, the ship’s distinctive silhouette becomes part of a larger visual composition.
History, nature and the art of cruising meet in the same setting.
Frequently Asked Questions About Fai Tsi Long
Is Fai Tsi Long an old name for Bai Tu Long Bay?
Fai Tsi Long and Faï-Tsi-Long are documented historical forms associated with the northeastern Vietnamese bay area. Their relationship to modern Bai Tu Long Bay is strongly suggested by geographical context, although the exact linguistic history has not been conclusively established.
When was Fai Tsi Long first recorded?
One verified archival catalogue identifies a French nautical chart surveyed in 1881 and published in 1884 using the spelling Faï-Tsi-Long. Earlier occurrences may exist but have not been established here.
What is the connection between Bai Tu Long Bay and Van Don?
The present-day Bai Tu Long Bay region includes areas associated with the historical Van Don maritime trading system, established in 1149 during the Ly dynasty.
Did Emperor Bao Dai visit Bai Tu Long Bay?
No reliable historical evidence establishing such a visit has been identified in the sources reviewed for this article.
A Historic Name, A New Voyage
The story of Fai Tsi Long is still being uncovered.
Its appearance in nineteenth-century nautical charts and twentieth-century archival records offers a fascinating connection between the geographical history of northeastern Vietnam and the waters known today as Bai Tu Long Bay.
For travelers, the name is an invitation to look beyond the landscape — toward the histories, legends and maritime traditions that have shaped this remarkable region.
With Emperor Cruises Legacy Fai Tsi Long, that heritage becomes a starting point for discovering the bay with greater curiosity and appreciation.
Discover Bai Tu Long Bay, where the beauty of nature meets the depth of maritime history.