• Hoan Kiem Lake and Ngoc Son Temple
  • Hoan Kiem Lake and Ngoc Son Temple

  • on May 9, 2019       By: Hoàng
  • This place is the heart of Hanoi city with the poetic Hoan Kiem Lake and the beauty of sanctuary at Ngoc Son temple.
    The temple is located on an island in the middle of  Lake connected to the bank by an iconic bridge of Hanoi capital.

    Hoan Kiem Lake or the Return Sword Lake:
    A central Lake in Hanoi city with an area of 12 ha, surrounded by Dinh Tien Hoang, Le Thai To, Hang Khay Str, about 1800m long. The water is a great mirror to reflect the ancient trees, the slender willows on the water of the lake. The temple roofs, ancient pagodas, old towers covered with moss and new high buildings are around the Lake.
    This lake is a vestige part of Nhi Ha River.
     

    hoan kiem lake and ngoc son temple
    Red Bridge connects to Ngoc Son temple in Hoan Kiem Lake

    The meaning of Hoan Kiem Lake:
    In the past, the lake had name Luc Thuy Lake, it means Green water Lake. Because of the water was green all year around. By the 15th century, the lake was renamed Hoan Kiem Lake. According to the Legend of returning the sword to the golden turtle:
    The legend:
    After the victory, Le Loi became the emperor and he took the title name Le Thai To to build a capital in Thang Long. On one occasion, the king went out on the boat on Luc Thuy Lake. Suddenly, a large turtle appeared. King Le Thai To used his sword to show the turtle for his soldiers. The sword flew toward to the turtle and it got the sword down to the water of the lake. From then, Luc Thuy Lake had a new name Hoan Kiem Lake or Return Sword Lake.
     


    Ngoc Son temple:
    Located on a pearl island of Hoan Kiem Lake. This is a special national monument of Vietnam
    The temple was built in the 19th century. At first it called Ngoc Pagoda (Jade pagoda) after that, it was renamed Ngoc Son temple because in the temple, people worship Van Xuong De Quan( who is the master of scientific literature) and worship Tran Hung Dao the hero has destroyed the Mongolian army in the 13rd century.
    Between Ngoc Son temple and the bank connected by red wooden bridge named The Huc bridge means to retain the beautiful light of the sky.

    Entrance fee is at 30 000 VND (1.5 USD)
    Open time from 7.00 to 18.00
    Note: this is a temple, a sanctuary so once come to visit, visitors should pay attention to polite dress, gently walking and quietly.

     

    Turtle Tower in Hoan Kiem Lake:
    Turtle Tower is located in the middle of the lake. There is no bridge to conect the tower.
    Hoan Kiem Lake and Ngoc Son temple are long historical relics. And every visitor will think that the turtle tower has the same age as the Ngoc Son temple since it looks very ancient. However, in the fact that the turtle tower was built in the 19th century.

    According to the legend, the Turtle Tower was the place where the Golden turtle appeared to get the sword backs from King Le Loi. In the warm sunny days, the turtle still occasionally nearby the tower that makes the story of “sword of god” to be real and attractive.
    And with any legends, turtle tower in the middle of the Lake became a sacred symbol of Hanoi, Vietnam.

     

    turtle tower in the middle of hoan kiem lake
    Turtle Tower in the middle of Hoan Kiem Lake


    Activities around the Hoan Kiem Lake:
    Around Hoan Kiem Lake is walking streets on the weekend from Friday night to Sunday night There are some art performances, cultural activities, street music performances, folk instruments, folk games… all is free and you can donate upon your interests.
    Every weekend, the walking streets around the lake attract thousand visitors as well as local people come to enjoy.

    walking street in Hoan Kiem Lake
    Walking street around Hoan Kiem Lake


    Hoan Kiem Lake and Ngoc Son temple are the cultural center of Hanoi where the beautiful sceneries is associated with historical value, the symbol of Vietnam. Therefore, Hoan Kiem Lake and Ngoc Son temple are places should not be missed during the visit to Vietnam.
     
     

    Related Articles
    Unveil Hanoi Old Quarter
    Hanoi Opera House - A landmark in Hanoi city
    Hanoi Temple of Literature

     

     


Tag:

Comment

Captcha
You must type the characters of the image in the text box