Say “Baguio City” and “Burnham Park” isn’t likely to be mentioned far behind and, along with it, Burnham Lake. These two have become practically staples for anyone visiting Baguio City, especially for the first time. The same thing goes for the nearby town of La Trinidad; if you are in the area, you just have to check out the Strawberry Fields in Km. 6. Well, what about Hanoi? That staple would be Hoan Kiem Lake and, by default, the Ngoc Son Temple.
Practically all Hanoi travel guides mention Hoan Kiem Lake, and why not? It’s smack dab in the center of the Old French Quarter and basically also the center of the city of Hanoi. If there’s one observation I can have of the place, it would be that it is where everything takes place.
Here’s where I got a bit enlightened. You see, for the longest time, I thought that the capital of Vietnam was Saigon, now Ho Chi Minh City. I blame the musical “Miss Saigon” for that, haha! It turns out that the capital city of Vietnam is Hanoi, although it is only second in size (in terms of population) to Ho Chi Minh City.
Our guide Liem (during our Halong Bay tour, check out my posts on that right here) when he said that Hanoi is the political capital of Vietnam, while Ho Chi Minh is the financial/commercial capital of the country.
In fact, Hanoi City is just the metro or urban area of the larger Hanoi, which is a municipality. Where does Hoan Kiem Lake figure in all this geographically? Hoan Kiem Lake is located in Hoan Kiem District, which is the downtown and commercial hub of Hanoi City. If you walk around the Lake, you will immediately see all commercial activity centered around it.
A Bit of How Hoan Kiem Got Its Name…
Hoan Kiem Lake or Ho Hoan Kiem literally translates to “Lake of the Returned/Restored Sword” and the name is attributed to an ancient legend surrounding the Emperor Le Loi. The panel inside Ngoc Son Temple called it “Ho Guom” or “The Lake of the Sword Restored”, which sounds so much more poetic to me for some reason.
It was said that then King Le Loi was leading a revolution to liberate Vietnam from China (this was during the Ming dynasty). Supposedly, the Dragon King (Long Vuong) gave him a mythical sword with magical powers, which gave Le Loi extraordinary strength, and this led him to win his battles and establish the Le dynasty, where he became emperor.
After the battle was won and Vietnam was freed from the Ming’s clutches, Le Loi went boating on the Ta Vong Lake. There, a golden Turtle God came to the surface and asked for the sword back. Le Loi did it on the lake, and renamed Ta Vong into Hoan Kiem Lake in order to commemorate the event.
(Incidentally, this was one of the stories portrayed on the water puppet theater show that we watched earlier. Now I finally understood the story behind the golden turtle rising out of the water, appearing before a boat filled with men.)
To this day, believers still hold on to the, er, belief, that the sacred sword that was restored or returned is still buried deep in the Lake… somewhere in that vast body of water.
Now let’s take a walk around the Lake, shall we?
A Walk Around Hoan Kiem Lake
A leisurely walk around Hoan Kiem Lake may roughly take you an hour, especially if, like us, you stop every once in a while to check out the view and the people, and take photos. In fact, even if you are not easily drawn in by the serene beauty of the lake, people-watching is enough to entertain you.
If you go to Hanoi, you won’t miss Hoan Kiem Lake. First of all, it’s huge. Second, it’s in the center of everything. Chances are, you’d even be living on one of the inns and hotels that is just a walking distance from it. Restaurants and dining places are also situated in the structures and buildings overlooking the lake. And if you’re the type to hit the rooftop bars and clubs at night, you’ll still get to see the Lake, well-lit all around.
During the day, though, the area bordering the lake is actually a typical public park.
This was already close to 6 in the afternoon, as indicated by this giant clock-of-sorts…
,,,but look, it’s still very much light out. I personally think this is the ideal time to take a stroll around the lake, because it’s not too hot, and there’s less of the evening chill (during the colder months of the year).
I guess that’s the reason why you see people of all ages doing nothing… and everything, from hanging out and taking a walk to jogging and working out. I won’t be surprised if this is a popular spot for early morning group exercises such as for tai chi and aerobics. The place is just perfect for it, reminding me so much of Burnham Park in Baguio City.
And obviously the body’s not the only one getting the exercise. There were several who chose shaded and semi-secluded spots close to the edge for some meditation.
Respect for personal space is something that you can enjoy, apparently. But that’s just how I saw it when we were there at the time. I suppose it’s a different story during ultra-peak seasons when the place is literally packed. Then you’d be foolish to go THAT close to the edge. You’d be risking falling into the water.
And since this is a park, you’d see bird-watchers and photographers getting lost in their respective hobbies. There were even some benches occupied by some people reading books.
Oh, and there was a pre-nup wedding photo shoot going on, too!
And again, since this is a park, there were some buskers, although these street artists doing on-the-spot pencil sketches had a very good spot. I wonder how much they charge for a portrait, though.
Oh, and there were some vendors plying their food stuffs, which were mostly sliced fruits. Not a new sight to us Filipinos, since these are practically everywhere when you go around back home.
You might have noticed how the color of the water on the lake is green. even when the sky is so blue during the middle of the day. That is yet another of the several unique characteristics of Hoan Kiem.
Hoan Kiem is also supposedly filled with tortoise. Which we didn’t know at the time. Had we known, we’d have stayed far longer and waited for a tortoise or turtle sighting.
As you probably already surmised from the legend, tortoises or turtles are held in very high esteem by the Vietnamese, figuring greatly even today in their folk tales and legends.
By the way, near the center of the lake, on a very small islet, is this ancient-looking stone structure. It is called the Thap Rua, or the Turtle Tower. It somehow adds more credence to the legend involving Le Loi, the Golden Turtle, and the act of returning the sword.
But aside from the Lake itself, there is another attraction in this area: the Ngoc Son Temple. It is located on the northern part of the Lake, almost directly across the Water Puppet Theater.
It actually stands on another small island in the middle of the northern part of the lake, and it is accessible through a red bridge which, you can tell, even from a distance, is filled with people.
The Ngoc Son Temple
Now this is not mandatory. If you’re not really into temples and stuff like that, you’d already have your fill after walking around Hoan Kiem Lake. But it sure would be a waste if you don’t check out the Ngoc Son Temple, which is located on an island ON the lake, wouldn’t it?
Before arriving at the Temple, though, you’d pass by (what I referred to at the time) this pile of rocks with a pillar rising in the middle. These kids were having a ball climbing up and down, though I couldn’t say the same for their parents, haha!
This is called the But Thap or “Pen Tower”, one of the symbolic structures that make up the entire Ngoc Son Temple complex.
Ngoc Son Temple means “Temple of the Jade Mountain”, and the island it is erected on is known as the “Jade Island”.
It was first built in the 18th century as a small temple dedicated to Confucian and Taoist philosophers. It was further expanded in 1865 as it was also dedicated to Vietnam’s national hero, military leader Tran Hung Dao. This general played a key role in defending Vietnam against the massive invading force sent in by Kublai Khan, the emperor of Mongolia.
This red bridge is an iconic site and sight in Hanoi. It is called the Huc Bridge, or the Bridge of the Rising Sun. It is made of wood, and boasting a design that is “classically Vietnamese”, or so they say. I honestly don’t know, really, since architecture is not my strongest suit.
This bridge is what links the Jade Island to anyone who wants to visit the Ngoc Son Temple. The red color of the bridge created a very charming contrast with the greenish water of Hoan Kiem Lake. On a sunny day with perfectly blue sky, I bet it would have made a very pretty and colorful picture~
Before you can get there, though, you have to purchase tickets. Admission is 30,000 VND (roughly Php 65.00 or USD1.30) per person.
Once you scored your ticket, you may now step on to the Bridge of the Rising Sun.
And take photos on it.
Or try to.
Man, won’t it be awesome if you had that bridge all to yourself? But unless you have all the time in the world to catch that perfect timing, you’d have to make do with taking photos on the bridge WITH EVERYONE ELSE.
There are two towering pillars that stand guard as you make your entry to the pagoda on the Jade Island. Chinese characters decorate the pillar of the entrance, which is called the Dac Nguyet Lao, or the Pavilion for Moon Contemplation, or the Tower for Moon Viewing.
There were several structures on the pagoda within Jade Island, but the main draw are the altars dedicated to Tran Hung Dao inside the main building of the Ngoc Son Temple.
Offerings were bountiful, and many Vietnamese were also offering prayers on the altars, along with some gifts.
There is also this giant turtle on display. Apparently, it is a real turtle specimen, preserved and displayed in a place of honor in a room off the altar.
This giant turtle was caught on Hoan Kiem, and it weighted a whopping 250 kg when it was captured back in 1968. It’s 2.10 meters long and 1.2 meters wide.
…Honestly, I can think of a different fate for this turtle/tortoise if it had the misfortune to swim its way to Philippine shores. Haha!
This is the Dinh Tran Ba or the Pavilion Against Waves. It is situated in front of the main building of the Temple, and it overlooks the water. Well-manicured shrubs dotted the surroundings, which was also designed to invite guests to sit down and relax with a view of the Lake.
Look out into the water and you can spot the Turtle Tower in the distance.
Except for the fact that there are a lot of other people milling around, the place is relatively quiet, and the calm waters of the Lake adds to the general sense of peace and serenity in the Temple. It’s so easy to forget that you are separated from a bustling city street by just a wooden vermilion bridge.
In fact, you just have to look out over your shoulder, and you’d see a reminder that, yes, there’s a City out there, across the water.
One hour or two would be more than enough to dedicate to Hoan Kiem Lake and a visit to Ngoc Son. It’s usually packed, though, so if you don’t have tolerance for queues, you might want to rethink it.
But then again, some inconveniences are worth ignoring over the satisfaction of seeing and experiencing something new, something different, and something fascinating.
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