There are several different interpretations to the name of the islands. Some sources explain that Bà Lụa is the Chinese Vietnamese wife of an influential Frenchman coming here to exploit the area; since all of related legal papers were in her name, the islands was named Bà Lụa.[1][2] Author Anh Dong claims that Bà Lụa ("Lady Silk") is the name of a female general in charge of military logistics who established a silk mill on the islands in order to supply Nguyễn Trung Trực's militia force.[3] Another source says that around 1858, a feudal mandarin married a beautiful and gentle wife who wanted to stay away from the officialdom and eventually settled on the islands. Every day she raised silkworms and wove silk, so the islands has been called Bà Lụa ever since.[4]
The archipelago, formed from lower-mid Paleozoicsedimentary rocks,[5] consists of about 34[5] (or 42[3]) islands spreading out over a Шаблон:Convert water area.[5] The area of the islands is about Шаблон:Convert.[5] Hòn Heo is the largest entity. Re Lớn has the highest peak of Шаблон:Convert.[5] Apart from Hòn Heo, none of the rest have a highest point exceeding Шаблон:Cvt.Шаблон:Cn The most populous islands are Hòn Heo, Hòn Ngang and Hòn Nhum.[3] The sea area around the archipelago is shallow, and in many places, people can even walk from island to island during low tide.[2]
Hòn Heo (literally "Pig Island") is the largest island of Bà Lụa. It is approximately Шаблон:Convert in circumference and has an area of Шаблон:Cvt.[6] with a peak of Шаблон:Cvt.[5] Its name originates from the fact that the French built a piggery on the island in 1918.[7] Here lies the People's Committee Head Office of Son Hai Commune.[6]
