Hoan Kiem Lake is the heart of Hanoi in every sense: the point from which distances are measured, the place where Hanoians come to exercise at dawn and stroll at night, and the backdrop to the city\u2019s most famous legend. The lake is only about 12 hectares, so you can walk around it in 20\u201330 minutes, but there is a lot to see along the way.<\/p>\n
Its name means \u201cLake of the Returned Sword\u201d. In the 15th century, the story goes, King Le Loi used a magic sword to drive out Ming invaders. After the victory he was boating on the lake when a giant golden turtle rose from the water, took back the sword and returned it to the gods. The lake, once called Luc Thuy (Green Water), became Ho Hoan Kiem<\/em>, and locals still often call it simply Ho Guom<\/em>, Sword Lake.<\/p>\n On a small island at the northern end stands Ngoc Son Temple, the Temple of the Jade Mountain, reached by the red wooden The Huc Bridge, \u201cthe bridge where morning light rests\u201d. The temple was rebuilt in its present form in the 19th century, and in 1865 the scholar Nguyen Van Sieu restored it, added the bridge and the Pen Tower (Thap But<\/em>) on the shore. It honours Tran Hung Dao, the general who defeated the Mongols in the 13th century, as well as the patron of literature. Inside you can see a preserved giant soft-shell turtle from the lake.<\/p>\n In the middle of the lake, on a tiny island you cannot visit, stands the Turtle Tower (Thap Rua<\/em>), built in the late 19th century and now one of the city\u2019s symbols. The lake\u2019s famous giant turtles were real: the last known one died in 2016, and many Hanoians still speak of it with affection.<\/p>\n From Friday evening to Sunday night the roads around the lake close to traffic and become a walking street, full of families, buskers, street games and couples taking photos. Early in the morning, before the city wakes up, the shoreline fills with tai chi groups, joggers and aerobics classes \u2014 one of the best free shows in Vietnam.<\/p>\n Yes. It is the symbolic and geographic heart of Hanoi, free to enjoy, and an easy 20 to 30 minute stroll around the shore. Pair the walk with Ngoc Son Temple on its island, reached by the red The Huc Bridge, and time your visit for sunrise to catch the tai chi and joggers, or a weekend evening when the surrounding roads close for the walking street.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Das gr\u00fcne Herz von Hanoi: Ein legend\u00e4rer See mit scharlachroter Br\u00fccke, uraltem Inseltempel und der beliebteste Ort der Stadt zum Flanieren, Trainieren und Entspannen.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":52,"menu_order":7,"template":"","eta_destination":[9],"class_list":["post-171","eta_place","type-eta_place","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ecotripasia.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/eta_place\/171","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ecotripasia.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/eta_place"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ecotripasia.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/eta_place"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/ecotripasia.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/eta_place\/171\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":204,"href":"https:\/\/ecotripasia.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/eta_place\/171\/revisions\/204"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ecotripasia.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/52"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ecotripasia.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=171"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"eta_destination","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ecotripasia.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/eta_destination?post=171"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Ngoc Son Temple, The Huc Bridge and Turtle Tower<\/h3>\n
The walking street and daily life<\/h3>\n
Is Hoan Kiem Lake worth visiting?<\/h2>\n