Vietnam Pictorial 430 10/1994 p34

Lake of the Returned Sword

by Prof Ha Dinh Duc
Hanoi Association for the Protection
of Nature and Environment

That afternoon, from the clear and
green water of Lake Luc Thuy
(Green Water) Genie Tortoise
suddenly emerged and reported to
Emperor Le Loi, "Your Majesty, please
restore the precious sword to His Majesty
King Dragon."

The sacred sword the emperor always
carried by his side from the day he led
the insurrection began to shake and then
got off the sheath and flew fast in the
direction of Turtle Tower. As fast as
lightning, Genie Turtle opened its
mouth, caught it right away and dived
deep underwater. From this site a green
ray of lightning rose high up into the
sky. Since then, the Green Water Lake has
been renamed Ho Hoan Kiem (Lake of the
Restored Sword) or Ho Guom.

Such is the brief history of the lake.
The Vietnamese continue to believe
that the precious sword handed by King
Dragon -- the first ancestor of the
Vietnam race, to the nation's heroic son
was safely kept in the depth of the water
after having fulfilled the historic
mission. It constantly reminds the
descendants of the historic chapter
written by our ancestors who valiantly
fought against foreign aggressors.

The lake is not only a historic site
but also a natural landscape. The charm
of the scenery has captured the delight
of innumerable travellers. Countless
works of literature, poetry, music ant
painting have depicted the lake.

Vietnamese and foreign visitors alike
very much enjoy its beauty.

The Restored Sword Lake
A basket of flowers in the heart of the city
With the Red River as its silk ribbon
(Ludemis -- Greece)

Till now, the lake remains to be the
precious gem of the capital city of Hanoi
The image of the lake mirroring the
Turtle Tower has never faded in the
memory of Hanoians living elsewhere in
the country and of overseas Vietnamese.

It is not exaggerating to say that
anyone coming to Hanoi without seeing
the lake is still ignorant of Hanoi. It is
a happy chance for anyone who happens
to see for himself the appearance of the
turtles in the lake.

In the eyes of scientific workers,
turtles in the lake belong to the species
of soft shell measuring nearly 2 metres
lengthwise and weighing over 200
kilograms. Few persons know that of
the 130 taxons of the micro-algae family,
33 endemic species exist solely in the
Lake. More particularly, a precious
species of algae is carefully conserved at
the Tomoriadev institute of the Russian
Academy of Sciences.

That is the Lake of the Restored
Sword.

Even foreigners are interested in its
protection. In an interview granted to a
correspondent of the army newspaper
Quan Doi Nhan Dan, the ambassador of
the United Kingdom and Northern
Ireland has warned against the change
of the scenery around the lake. He says
something like this, "Don't let high-rise
buildings dominate the poetic scene of
the lake. I myself like the ancient style
of the Turtle Tower."