Thăng Long, which means “Ascending Dragon”, was also the name of the Vietnam capital during the Lý, Trần, Lê, and Mạc Dynasties (now Hanoi).
Dragons hold a very special place in Vietnamese culture and religion. It was the symbol of the absolute power of Thiên Tử (“Emperor”, or “Son of God”). In Vietnamese culture, Dragon is also the top creature of the Four Benevolent Animals or the Four Guardians protecting the people: The Dragon (Long) in the East, the Qilin (Lân) in the West, the Turtle (Quy) in the North, and the Phoenix (Phụng) in the South. In Vietnamese agriculture tradition, farmers believe that Dragons bring luck and good weather therefore the dragon symbol appears in most, if not all of the temples in Vietnam.
This is the Five-clawed Dragon design. It is different from others because the Five-clawed Dragon design was reserved to be used by the Monarch only back in the day.
This design is embossed onto the body of the bong by hand adding another dimension to the look and feel of the piece. It requires a whole new set of skills since it is completely different from traditional painting. The glaze is Crackle Glaze. The combination of embossed design and Crackle Glaze first appeared during the 16th century (Mạc Dynasty) and originated from Bat Trang Village.