Hoàn Kiếm Lake ( vi, Hồ Hoàn Kiếm, chữ Hán: 湖還劍, meaning ''"Lake of the Returned Sword"'' or ''"Lake of the Restored Sword"''), also known as Sword Lake (''Hồ Gươm'') or Tả Vọng Lake (''Hồ Tả Vọng''), is a

fresh water Fresh water or freshwater is any naturally occurring liquid or frozen water containing low concentrations of dissolved salts and other total dissolved solids. Although the term specifically excludes seawater and brackish water, it does include ...

lake, measuring some 12 ha in the historical center of

Hanoi Hanoi or Ha Noi ( or ; vi, Hà Nội ) is the capital and second-largest city of Vietnam. It covers an area of . It consists of 12 urban districts, one district-leveled town and 17 rural districts. Located within the Red River Delta, Hanoi is ...

, the capital city of

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...

. In the past, the lake was variously named "Lục Thủy Lake" ( vi, Hồ Lục Thủy, meaning "Green Water Lake" - aptly named for the water's color) or "Thủy Quân Lake" ( vi, Hồ Thủy Quân, meaning "Mariner's Lake"). The lake is one of the major scenic spots in the city and serves as a focal point for its public life.

History

According to the legend, after defeating the Ming China, Emperor

Lê Lợi Lê Lợi (, Chữ Hán: 黎利; c. 10 September 1384/1385 – 5 October 1433), also known by his temple name as Lê Thái Tổ (黎太祖) and by his pre-imperial title Bình Định vương (平定王; "Prince of Pacification"), was a Vietname ...

was boating on the lake when a Golden Turtle God (

Kim Qui The Hoàn Kiếm turtle, also ''Rafetus leloii'', was an obsolete or controversial taxon of turtle from Southeast Asia, based on specimens from Hoàn Kiếm Lake in Hanoi, Vietnam. Most experts classify this turtle as synonymous with the rare ...

) surfaced and asked for his magic sword, Heaven's Will. Lợi concluded that

had come to reclaim the sword that its master, a local God, the Dragon King (''Long Vương'') had given Lợi sometime earlier to defeat Ming China. Later, the Emperor gave the sword back to the turtle after he finished fighting off the Chinese. Emperor Lợi renamed the lake to commemorate this event, from its former name ''Lục Thủy'' meaning "Green Water". The

Turtle Tower Turtle Tower (), also called Tortoise Tower is a small tower in the middle of Hoan Kiem Lake (Sword Lake) in central Hanoi, Vietnam. History The island was first used as a fishing site. In the 1400s, under Lê Thánh Tông a tower was erected ...

(''Tháp Rùa'') standing on a small island near the center of the lake is linked to the legend. The first name of Hoàn Kiếm lake ứa Tả Vọng when the Emperor had not given the Magical Sword back to the Golden Turtle God (Cụ Rùa). Large soft-shell turtles, either of the species ''

Rafetus swinhoei The Yangtze giant softshell turtle (''Rafetus swinhoei''), also known as the Red River giant softshell turtle, the Shanghai softshell turtle, the speckled softshell turtle, and Swinhoe's softshell turtle, is an extremely rare species of turtle i ...

'' or a separate species named '' Rafetus leloi'' in honor of the emperor, had been sighted in the lake for many years. The last known individual was found dead on January 19, 2016. There are three remaining turtles of the species ''R. swinhoei''. Near the northern shore of the lake lies Jade Islet, on which the

Temple of the Jade Mountain The Temple of the Jade Mountain ( vi, Đền Ngọc Sơn, chữ Nôm: 𪽛玉山) is located on the Jade Islet in Hoàn Kiếm Lake, central Hanoi, Vietnam. History Being built on the Jade Islet and dedicated to Confucian and Taoist philosopher ...

(''Ngọc Sơn Temple'') stands. The temple was erected in the 18th century. It honors the 13th-century military leader

Trần Hưng Đạo Trần Hưng Đạo (; 1228–1300), real name Trần Quốc Tuấn (陳國峻), also known as Grand Prince Hưng Đạo (''Hưng Đạo Đại Vương'' - 興道大王), was a Vietnamese royal prince, statesman and military commander of Đạ ...

who distinguished himself in defeating the

Mongol invasions of Vietnam Four major military campaigns were launched by the Mongol Empire, and later the Yuan dynasty, against the kingdom of Đại Việt (modern-day northern Vietnam) ruled by the Trần dynasty and the kingdom of Champa (modern-day central Vietnam) ...

thrice; the classic scholar Văn Xương; and Nguyễn Văn Siêu, a famous writer and official who undertook repairs of the temple in 1864. Jade Island is connected to the shore by the wooden

Thê Húc Bridge Thê Húc Bridge ( vi, Cầu Thê Húc, chữ Nôm: 橋棲旭), is a footbridge over Hoàn Kiếm Lake within Hanoi, Vietnam. History In 1865, during the reign of Tự Đức, the scholar Nguyễn Văn Siêu commissioned a bridge connecting the ...

, painted vermillion red. The bridge's name is poetically translated as "Perch of the Morning Sunlight".

Gallery

File:Thê Húc bridge with flags.jpg,

File:TurtleTower HoanKiemLake Hanoi.jpg,

at night

References and external links

Photos of Hoan Kiem LakeHoan Kiem Lake with Giant TurtleLake of the Restored SwordRestored Sword lake featured in Vietnam Tours"Giant turtle sightings set Vietnam capital abuzz" - CNN, April 13, 1998
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hoan Kiem Lake Lakes of Hanoi Lakes of Vietnam Tourist attractions in Hanoi