Hoan Kiem Lake & Leaving Hanoi

Sleepiness got the better of Xuan, Amanda, and I, and we woke up an hour late for our morning stroll around the lake. However, it would turn out to be perfect timing. Ho Hoan Kiem, which translates to "Lake of the Returned Sword" is a five minute walk away from our Hotel in the Old Quarter of Hanoi. According to wikipedia, the lake is relatively shallow, only 7 feet at its deepest level. Yet it's miraculously home to a rare species of giant, soft-shell turtle whose occasional surface is an omen of good luck. Hoan Kiem Lake is most well known as the site of legend. According to myth, Le Loi, an emperor of Vietnam, was struggling in his battles with the Ming Chinese that had invaded Vietnam. In desperation, he sought help from a magical turtle who granted him the use of a powerful sword. With the turtle's help, Le Loi banished the invaders from Vietnam and was able to establish his kingdom. True to his word though, he returned to the lake where he met the turtle and returned the sword back to it. That lake was of course, Ho Hoan Kiem, and a small tower situated on a tiny island in the middle of the lake honors this legend.



Ho Hoan Kiem is a bustling place in the morning. Nearby and around the lake, young and old indulge in quick games of badminton, shuffling back and forth on courts chalked into the cement in front of patriotic statues and electronic billboards. Elderly folks slowly move their bodies to recordings of music, balancing green balls on soft paddles and waving red fans in dance-like movements. The Lake appears to be a favorite exercise destination, a make shift outdoor gym, possibly the most beautiful and most natural one in existence: groups of people shift their arms and legs up and down to exercise tapes, men lift weights and do sit ups on planks of wood while gazing out over the lake vista. Nearby, sitting cross-legged on small square stone platforms, people mediate with their palms on their knees. Walking around the lake is a brisk one-hour stroll amidst mangrove trees stretching their limbs and roots into the tranquil, mirror like surface of the water. The sun is not yet at its zenith, and the weather is gently warm, with a soft breeze barely rippling the lake surface. One one side of the lake is the temple, located on Jade Island. It commemorates a local hero and is home to the preserved body of one of the lake's famous turtles.

After visiting the lake, we spent our last day in Hanoi in a blissful whirlwind of shopping and eating. Fanny's Ice Cream by the lake offers creative ice cream scoops arranged like xich los and baskets of fruit. We bought bags that would have cost 100 or more back at home for only 20 bucks. Here in Vietnam you can get expensive brand names for cheap prices, but you must contend with a slight flaw in the manufacturing, whether it's a tiny tear or a malfunctioning zipper. Here in Hanoi I was able to enjoy several local delicacies: savory xoi at a local eatery, bun cha at Quan An Ngoc, and pho ga by the street. Did you know that pho, the most famous of Vietnamese dishes, originated in Hanoi?





We left Hanoi in a mixture of feelings. Disappointed because there's so much more to do here and we were only allowed a weekend. Relieved because we've realized how much we appreciate the quiet, sleepiness of Hue in light of the big-city bustling of Hanoi.