Vietnamese dragon

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 has some features of Đại Việt 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.

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

Bodhi tree leaf with dragon carving, a common decorative theme of Ly dynasty

The Lý dynasty is the dynasty which laid the foundation of Vietnamese feudal 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.

The Trần dragon, wood carving of Phổ Minh Temple, Nam Định province.

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.

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  One of four dragons in front of Ngu Long Mon of Lý Bát Đế Shrine, Lê dynasty
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  Dragons on a Mạc dynasty oil lamp base
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  Dragons of Kính Thiên Palace, main hall of the Lê dynasty Imperial Palace

Nguyễn dynasty dragon, Imperial City of Huế

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, 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.