The name of the lake, which means “Lake of the Restored Sword”, refers to a legend of the great Vietnamese hero, Le Loi, who led a successful uprising against the Chinese in the fifteenth century. Tradition has it that Le Loi found a sword that was partly responsible for his glorious win, after ten years of battle, the sword was reclaimed by the gods through the use of a golden turtle.
A good way to get your bearings in Hanoi is to make a quick circuit of the lake, a pleasant walk at any time of year and stunning when the flame trees flower in June and July. The sights below are given in clockwise order, beginning at the iconic Huc Bridge (possibly the most photographed site in the city) at the lake’s northeast corner.
Den Ngoc Son at Hoan Kiem Lake
When crossing the Huc Bridge, an arch of red-lacquered wood poetically labelled “the place where morning sunlight rests”, you will find the secluded Den Ngoc Son sheltering among ancient trees. This small temple, known in Vietnamese as “Temple of the Jade Mound”, was founded in the fourteenth century and is dedicated to an eclectic group: national hero General Tran Hung Dao, who defeated the Mongols in 1288, sits on the principal altar; Van Xuong, God of Literature; physician La To; and a martial arts practitioner, Quan Vu. The temple buildings date from the 1800s and are typical of the Nguyen Dynasty; in the antechamber, look out for the dragon heads, carved with bulbous noses and teeth bared in manic grins.
Statue of King Ly Thai To
Heading south along the eastern side of Hoan Kiem Lake, you’ll come to an imperious statue of Hanoi’s founding father, King Ly Thai To, which was erected in 2004 in anticipation of celebrations to mark the city’s millennium in 2010. At dusk, the expanse of polished stone paving around it provides an incongruous venue for Hanoi’s small but keen band of break-dancers.