Hoan Kiem lake
Right in the middle of the city of Hanoi, Hoan Kiem Lake, or locally known as bo ho that means ‘the shore of the lake’, is more than the place for morning exercises, leisure and recreation activities. It is the heart and the beats of the city – thousands of local folks gather together on the Liberation Day and the photographers snap photos of brides and grooms during the wedding season.

The lake has the legend way back in the mid-15th century when Emperor Ly Thai (Le Loi) got a magical sword from heaven to fight against the Chinese, the Minh aggressors, out of Vietnam. After that one day when he was out sailing in the lake, a giant golden tortoise suddenly grabbed the sword and disappeared into the water. The lake is also known as ‘Ho Hoan Kiem’, the Lake of the Restored Sword, because it is believed the sword was taken to its original divine owners.

On an islet in the middle of the lake towards its south stands the Tortoise Tower or the Thap Rua on the top of which a red star is often held as an emblem of Hanoi.

Ngoc Son Temple
Right up north of Hoan Kiem Lake is Ngoc Son (Jade Mountain) Temple. It was built in the 18th century as a dedication to a scholar Van Xuong, General Tran Hung Dao, who fended off the Mongols in the 13th century.

The present building of the temple is renovated in 1864 by Nguyen Van Sieu, a famous Hanoi writer. He also had a tall pen-shaped tower of five storeys erected at the entrance of the temple. On the gate of the temple, there are also several parallel sentences called cau doi, which were part of traditional word puzzles played among the intellectuals.

On the east side of the temple is the 19th century bright red wooden Huc (Rising Sun) Bridge, a romantic gateway to the temple.