Ho Hoan Kiem (Lake of the Returned Sword)

Ho Hoan Kiem, Lake of the Returned Sword (30 August 2006)


Ho Hoan Kiem, or the Lake of the Returned Sword, is a major tourist sight in Hanoi. It is located right at the centre of the city. Ho Hoan Kiem, or simply Hoan Kiem, is associated with the legend of the restored sword, a Vietnamese version of Excalibur. Visitors to Hanoi, especially free independent travelers, are likely to have passed through the lake at least once, or more likely than now, a few times during their stay in Hanoi. This is because the lake is central to Hanoi and everything seems to revolve around it.

There was a legend of how Ho Hoan Kiem got its name. It dates to the early 15th century, when Vietnam was ruled by the Ho Dynasty. At that time, the lake was called Ta Vong Lake. The Ho Dynasty was overthrown by the Chinese Ming Dynasty in 1407. Under Chinese occupation, the Vietnamese suffered greatly with high imposition of taxes. No doubt the Vietnamese hated their occupiers.

One day, a fisherman called Le Tran caught a sword in his net. He passed the sword to the Vietnamese resistance leader, Le Loi. Using this sword, Le Loi fought the Chinese and liberated the country. He crowned himself as King Le Thai To and founded the Le Dynasty (1428-1776).

One day, King Le Thai To was taking a boat on Ta Vong Lake. Suddenly a golden tortoise appeared. The tortoise demanded that King Le Thai To returned the magic sword. When King Le Thai To threw the sword into the lake, the tortoise grabbed it in its mouth and disappeared into the water with it. From then on, the lake was called Ho Hoan Kiem, or Lake of the Returned Sword.

Today Ho Hoan Kiem has become a good place for people watching. This is where the people of Hanoi come to play, to jog, to exercise and to romance. For a communist country, Hanoi is far more liberal than one would expect, and it would not be rare to see couples holding hands and kissing. Visitors should however be wary of pickpockets - my wife almost got her purse picked. Luckily she was fast enough and managed to recover her wallet before it was taken away.

Getting there

Ho Hoan Kiem is located in the middle of the city of Hanoi. Find it on a Hanoi map and choose your accommodation to be within walking distance of it.

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