| Introduction |
From that time on, Quang Ninh Sea was renamed Ha Long where the mother dragon descended, and the place where her children descended was named Bai Tu Long. The dragon tails formed the area of Bach Long Vi (now renamed as Tra Co Peninsula), forming a silky sandy beach stretching over tens of kilometers. From time immemorial to current, Dragon pearls turned into thousands of islands, swaying on the fanciful sparkling waves of Ha Long Bay. There were islands with the heart shape-Tuan Chau Island, some with the shape similar to the image of someone being directed toward the mainland –Human Head Island; others with the same image like a dragon flying on the water surface – Dragon island; and two islands with the image of two chickens caressing and playing with together on the waves – “Trong Mai” Island i.e.“Male and Female”, etc. There were wonderful caves latent in the beds of stone islands such as Thien Cung Grotto, Dau Go Cave, Sung Sot Grotto, Trinh Nu Cave, Tam Cung Grotto. Invaluable Dragon pearls of the earth and heaven, standing superbly in the blue sea, covering track of time on its body that not only created the marvelous legend of Ha Long Bay but also remained an masterpiece of the nature offered to Human. Thanks to this unique beauty, Ha Long Bay was recognized twice as a World Natural Heritage Site by UNESCO. 
Being located in the island community of Ha Long Bay, Tuan Chau is the only land island dressing hisrical traces besides the natural beauty such as pine forests, lakes, and the island wears on its body historical traces of Vietnamese country. President Ho Chi Minh – Father of Vietnam nation, chose Tuan Chau Island as his rest location and also of advanced leaders of the Communist Party and the Government when he visited the island in 1959.
There
were many legends of the island name as Tuan Chau. There were legends supposed
that it was named Tuan Chau Island due to this place where the feudal
oppressors set up a sentinel department with the duties of patrol, borderland
protection managed by a district Chief, the name of “Tuan Chau” Island is
combined from two letters “linh tuan” (the Patrolman) and “tri chau” (the
District Chief). However, perhaps the Tuan Chau name was formed from the legend
of Ha Long Bay having the most convincing, the name “Tuan Chau” was explained
right from its self call. “Tuan” meaned cycle, a circulation of everything in
the earth, “Chau” meaned Pearl – Invaluable Dragon pearls of the natural
creator awarding to Viet civil to prevent aggressors. Tuan Chau was Pearl
Hoop.
DEVELOPMENT PLAN OF TUAN CHAU ISLAND:
Tuan Chau Island is also called as Tuan Chau Mountain. The book of Dai Nam Union wrote: “Tuan Chau Mountain is distant the Hoanh Bo district one mile in the Eastern direction, in front of it is a river”, from the ancient times, Tuan Chua had been determined to situate at the important position, in the middle of the alley entrance of Thang Long waterborne – Bach Dang – Van Don, where was very convenient for exchange and trade. The geographical position of Tuan Chau Island has currently become more and more advantageous because of the robust investment of the new Viet generations. Nowadays, Tuan Chau Island has a traffic route throughout the sea built by Au Lac Company with the length of over two kilometers. With repect to the roadway, Tuan Chau is 130 km distant Hanoi city, it takes two hours to go by cars to come there, over 60 km far from Hai Phong city, at one hour travelling by car distance and over 180 km distant China, at about three hours driving distance. The time until when the highway from the Noi Bai international airport – Ha Long – Mong Cai is completed, from Hanoi to Tuan Chau is just about one hour
About the waterway: there are now the high speed ship line, at two hours travelling distance from Mong Cai – the town bordering China to Tuan Chau and taking 30 minutes to go by Canoe from Hai Phong city to Tuan Chau. In the first quarter of 2008, Quang Ninh province will open the high speed sea ship line from South to North that will increase extra transport services for Ha Long, making Tuan Chua be more close to other local areas in the whole country and indigenous countries.
On the other hand, according to the Quang Ninh tourist Service, after the test ship starting from Bac Hai (Guangxi Zhuang, China) of the Bac Hai Morning Shine sea-boat firm, since July 24, 2007, the tourist boat of Morning Shine with the capacity of 800 passengers, would officially take into operation. The Bac Hai – Ha Long Bay route brings Chinese tourists to visit Ha Long bay with the frequency of 2 days/trip.
With regard to the Au Lac Company, next time the Tuan Chau- Gia Luan ferry route will be operated; it will only take about 45 minutes to go to Hai Phong city by ferry, at five minutes travelling by Canoe. With respect to aviation: at the moment, the Au Lac Company has combined with the Southern flight Service Company of Vietnam to open the flight route flying by the rotor aircraft of Hanoi-Tuan Chau and Tuan Chau- Hanoi. Next time when the Van Don international airport will have been completed, then Tuan Chau will be very dramatically developing because Van Don is just only at 40 km roadway distance.
Recognition of the quite optimistic potential of service development on Tuan Chau Island in 1997, the communist party and governmental leaders had policies of building investment of Tuan Chau Island aiming at making it become the international tourism center. Access Route to Tuan Chau IslandDuring the regional financial and economic crisis period, the investment into the route project of approaching to the island in 1997 was considered as a risk decision, however, taken into account by the Party and governmental leaders, approved by the government, helped by Ministries and departments, governmental functional authorities from Center level to local one, the Au Lac Company was finally established on August 2, 1997 to implement this extremely challenging project. The idea of getting the company name was Au Lac based on the legend of Au Co and Lac Long Quan who wanted to be the first people cultivating this intact and primitive Tuan Chau land in order to turn it into an international tourism center.
After completing the access route to Tuan Chau Island, based on the approved investment planning and project, thousands of billion VND has been mobilized by Au Lac Company to invest in Tuan Chau Island. Deprived from an intact island, until now Tuan Chau Island has become well-known for both international and domestic tourists and it is regarded as the indispensable destination of tourists with special works and services such as: 
Tuan Chau- International Tourism CenterAfter ten years of operation, with a great enforcement, the Au Lac Company has changed Tuan Chau Island – a poor island of Ha Long city in Quang Ninh province from an intact one to become a famous entertainment and amusement area in both national and international patterns. Also with the firm reinforcement of its own business activities, the Au Lac Company has expanded the operation pattern in many countries with a lot of sub-companies, running in variety of fields including investment, bank, stock exchange, investment fund, estate, tourist, hotel, amusement and entertainment, cruise, wharf, golf yard, fair in accordance with the corporation module named Tuan Chau Corporation. |
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The
company has been continue investing into the 18 hole golf field at the
North-Western part of the island, an international conference center, an
edifice for chiefs of Asian countries, a seaside resort area with 300 rooms, an
underwater world, a tourist harbor, a film studio, a supermarket system, a
marine product market, and a lot of other constructions.
