Hoan Kiem Lake
Located in the center of the Hoan Kiem District in the Old Quarter area of Hanoi, Hoan Kiem Lake (Ho Hoan Kiem or Ho Guom) is the spiritual and social heart of the city and serves as a major gathering point during national holidays such as Vietnam National Day and major festivals such as Tet (New Year's). The small lake is called "The Lake of the Restored Sword," after the legend of Le Loi and his defeat of the Chinese. Under the leadership of Le Loi, a wealthy landowner in the province of Thanh Hoa south of the Red River delta, a movement of national resistance started in 1418 against the Chinese occupiers. After a ten-year struggle, the Chinese were forced to evacuate Vietnam. Le Loi, who ascended the throne shortly thereafter under the name of Le Thai To, became the founder of the third great Vietnamese dynasty, the Later Le (or the Le). Legend has it that Le Loi used a magic golden sword from heaven to vanquish the Chinese invaders. While he was boating on Hoan Kiem Lake in celebration of his successful campaign, a giant tortoise rose from the water and retrieved the sword for its heavenly owner. Real turtles live in the lake and are reported to be a uniquely large species (Rafetus swimhoei) that are surfacing for air with increasing frequency as the lake becomes more polluted.
Further Reading
Cima, Ronald J., ed. (1989) Vietnam: A Country Study. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.
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