Sword Lake - The Cultural and Historical Convergence of Hanoi Capital

Hi guys, how are you today? I hope you have a wonderful first day of the year. In the tumultuous old year 2021, I didn't fulfill many of my plans. But I hope that 2022 will be a better year for all of us. And one of my plans for the new year is travel. To start with that, I will introduce you to one of my favorite places, which is Sword Lake (Hoan Kiem Lake), in the capital Hanoi. It has such a name because according to legend, once King Le Loi was sailing on this lake, suddenly a golden tortoise floated to the surface demanding the king return the sword lent by the Dragon King to drive away the Ming invaders. The king immediately returned the sword to the tortoise and the turtle disappeared into the water.

Every city has a certain symbol that people will immediately think of when mentioned. For me, the first thing that comes to my mind when thinking of Hanoi is Sword Lake. It is not only a beautiful place but also the cultural and historical convergence of Hanoi capital. Sword Lake is the center of Hanoi capital. It is the connecting place of 36 historic streets, which has been and is a busy and bustling area. Sword Lake is a witness throughout the long history of development from the ancient capital of Thang Long to the capital of Hanoi today. All historical sites in Sword Lake such as Turtle Tower, Ngoc Son Temple, The Huc Bridge, But Tower, Dai Nghien, Hoa Phong Tower, Ba Kieu Temple, Thuy Ta Temple, and King Le Temple still exist to this day and tell current generations about the historical stories of Hanoi in particular and of the country in general. At every step around Sword Lake, I learn a history lesson. No place in Vietnam holds as many history lessons as Sword Lake.

With such a location and history, Sword Lake has also become the cultural gathering place of Hanoi capital. It has become the subject of many poetic works from the past to the present day such as: Vinh Ha Thanh, Chieu Ho Guom, Ho Guom Oi, Ao Anh Ho Guom,... Besides, there are also many songs written about Sword Lake such as: Nghien But Non Song, Nguoi Ha Noi, Ha Noi Niem Tin Va Hy Vong, Chieu Ho Guom,... To this day, Sword Lake is still the center of cultural activities. When coming here, you can easily encounter cultural activities from art display, cheo singing, ca tru, water puppetry, chess competitions, human chess, folk games, etc. to modern art performances. I can feel the simplicity as well as the dynamism of Hanoians in the past and present at the same time through those cultural and artistic activities.

At different times of the day, Sword Lake has different beauty. For me, my favorite time is early morning and late evening. During the day, this place is always very busy with traffic coming from the streets, pedestrians, tourists, cultural and art activities and trading activities. But in the early morning, Sword Lake becomes very peaceful and quiet. People come here to exercise, read books, read newspapers, drink coffee or just relax and chat. It is part of the lives of the people living around the lakeshore. I like to walk under the old trees planted around the lakeside and see everything. Seeing people enjoy life in their own way also helps me enjoy life in my own way. I think you will also feel the positive energy of the atmosphere when you come here early in the morning.

Meanwhile, late at night, Sword Lake has a shimmering and fanciful beauty. At around 11pm, when all the bustling activities end, everyone returns to their roofs and leaves the beautiful Sword Lake alone. That's also when historical sites and trees start their show with colorful lights. The water surface of Sword Lake is as calm as a mirror creating a reflective effect that makes everything twice as beautiful. While I was walking around the lake to take pictures I came across several couples on the benches. It really is a very romantic date spot. Everything seems very quiet to admire the shimmering beauty of this legendary lake. Do not miss this wonderful moment when traveling to Hanoi.

Thank you for taking the time to read my post. Have a nice day!