Hoàn Kiếm Lake

Hoàn Kiếm Lake
Hồ Hoàn Kiếm
Sword Lake
Turtle Tower (Tháp Rùa) in the center of the lake
Location Hanoi
Coordinates 21°01′44″N 105°51′09″E / 21.02889°N 105.85250°E / 21.02889; 105.85250Coordinates: 21°01′44″N 105°51′09″E / 21.02889°N 105.85250°E / 21.02889; 105.85250
Basin countries Vietnam
Average depth 1.2 m (3.9 ft)
Max. depth 2 m (6.6 ft)
Settlements Hanoi

Hoan Kiem Lake (Vietnamese: Hồ Hoàn Kiếm, Hán tự: 湖還劍, meaning "Lake of the Returned Sword" or "Lake of the Restored Sword"), also known as Hồ Gươm (Sword Lake), is a fresh lake in the historical center of Hanoi, the capital city of Vietnam. Its area is about 12 ha. In the past, the lake also had the name "Luc Thuy Lake"(Vietnamese: Hồ Lục Thủy, meaning "Green Water Lake" - because the water is always green) or "Thuy Quan Lake"(Vietnamese: Hồ Thủy Quân, meaning "Lake for marine army to practice"). 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, in early 1428, Emperor Lê Lợi was boating on the lake when a Golden Turtle God (Kim Qui) surfaced and asked for his magic sword, Heaven's Will. Lợi concluded that Kim Qui had come to reclaim the sword that its master, a local God, the Dragon King (Long Vương) had given Lợi some time earlier, during his revolt against Ming China. Later, Emperor Lợi 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 Luc Thuy meaning "Green Water". The Turtle Tower (Tháp Rùa) standing on a small island near the centre of lake is linked to the legend. The first name of Hoàn Kiếm lake is Tả Vọng, when the King hadn't given the Magical Sword back to the Golden Turtle God (Cụ Rùa).

The Huc Bridge

Large soft-shell turtles, either of the species Rafetus swinhoei 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 Island on which the Temple of the Jade Mountain (Ngoc Son Temple) stands. The temple was erected in the 18th century. It honors the 13th-century military leader Tran Hung Dao who distinguished himself in the fight against the Yuan Dynasty, Van Xuong, a scholar, and Nguyen Van Sieu, a Confucian master and famous writer in charge of repairs made to the temple in 1864. Jade Island is connected to the shore by the wooden red-painted The Huc Bridge/Cầu Thê Húc (The Huc, meaning Morning Sunlight Bridge).

A panoramic view of the Hoan Kiem Lake by night.
Turtle Tower at night

Media related to Hoan Kiem Lake at Wikimedia Commons

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