Hoan Kiem

Brief information

The name Hoan Kiem literally links the lake with the returned sword. According to legend, Emperor Le Loi received a magic sword from a golden turtle, defeated the Chinese armies, and then returned the weapon to the old turtle on the lake. For this reason, the body of water is read not simply as an urban lake, but as a place where legend explains the very name and the main symbols around the water.

The lake also has a more earthly origin: it formed on the site of an old course of the Red River, which now flows farther north. This fact changes how one sees the shape of the place: the water in the center of Hanoi turns out to be a trace of the river's former movement, not just a backdrop for temples, the bridge, and the tower.

What to notice right away

It makes sense to compare the two islands. In the northern and southern parts of the lake they are perceived as a pair, and in local tradition they are considered the body and head of the sacred turtle. Thus the legend takes on a simple spatial form: not only a story about a sword, but also a way to read the arrangement of objects on the water.

On the northern island stands the 19th-century Temple of the Jade Mountain, connected to the shore by the Rising Sun Bridge. The southern island lies closer to the center of the lake, and on it stands Turtle Tower, built in 1886. These three details show how the meaning of the lake is gathered around a crossing, an island, and a separate tower: the shore is linked to the temple by a bridge, while the center of the water is marked by a structure directly named after the turtle.