Hoan Kiem Lake

introduce

Hoan Kiem Lake (Modern Vietnamese: Hồ Hoàn Kiếm; Chinese: Hu Hoan Kiem) is a natural freshwater lake in the center of Hanoi, Vietnam. It is located in Hoan Kiem County, which is named after it. It is a famous landmark and tourist attraction in Hanoi, and is popular among citizens every day. An important place for leisure and entertainment.

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During the Li and Chen dynasties, it was called Lushui Lake. Later, it was renamed Shuijun Lake because the lake was used as a place for training and reviewing navy troops. It was also renamed Zuowang Lake for a time. It is said that Le Loi, the founder of Vietnam's Later Le Dynasty, once obtained an ancient sword from this lake, and later returned the ancient sword to the turtle in the lake. The name of the lake has since been changed to Hoan Kiem Lake.

Hoan Kiem Lake was originally a tributary of the Red River. After forming the lake, there was still a waterway connected to the Red River not far to the east, which was later cut off by a river embankment. The lake is oval in shape, narrow and long from north to south, with an area of ​​about 12 hectares and an average water depth of about 1.2 meters. There are two small islands in the lake - the smaller one is located in the center of the lake, called Turtle Hill Island. There are no passages around it connected to the lake shore and cannot be reached by tourists. There is a turtle tower on the island; the larger one is located in the north of the lake. , called Yushan Island, there is a Yushan Temple built on the island, and in front of the temple there is a wooden arch bridge called Qixu Bridge connected to the east bank of the lake.

Hoan Kiem Lake once housed one of the few populations of spotted soft-shell turtles in the world. Some Vietnamese biologists believe that they are an independent species different from the spotted soft-shell turtles, and they are called Hoan Kiem soft-shell turtles. The lake shore is surrounded by green trees, with thick shade like a canopy; the lake water is as clear as a mirror, elegant and tranquil; there are ancient buildings such as waterside pavilions on the shore, and the lake is dotted with scenic spots such as Ngoc Son Temple, Qixu Bridge, Zhen Bo Pavilion and Turtle Pagoda. It is the first in Hanoi Scenic area.
 

To this day, the Confucian Temple-Guozijian attracts thousands of domestic and foreign tourists every year. It is also the place where cultural activities such as the commendation meeting for outstanding students and the annual poetry meeting for the first lunar month are held.