Despite dealing with an indifferent creature manning the information desk, we managed to make our way around Hoàn Kiếm Lake (Lake of the Restored Sword) to the Temple of the Jade Mountain (Ngọc Sơn Temple).
According to legend, in the 15th century, a magical sword fell into the possession of emperor Lê Lợi, which he used to defeat the invading Ming Chinese. In 1428, Lê Lợi was in a boat when Kim Qui, the Turtle God, surfaced and asked for the return of the sword, named Heaven's Will. Heaven's Will belonged to Long Vương, the Dragon King. Emperor Lợi named the lake that the Turtle King emerged, Hoàn Kiếm to signify the event of the return of the sword, and the turtle and sword disappeared into the depths. A turtle emerges from time to time to remind Hanoians of hope but the sword has remained hidden.
In the center of the lake is the Turtle Pagoda, which is often depicted to represent Hanoi, much like the Japanese bridge is the symbol of Hoi An.
Ngọc Sơn Temple (Temple of the Jade Mountain) is located at the north of the lake, on an island known as Jade Island. It was erected in the 1700s in honor of 13th-century military leader Trần Hưng Đạo who distinguished himself fighting against the Yuan Dynasty. The temple was expanded to honor scholar Van Xuong and Confucian master Nguyen Van Sieu.
A red, wooden bridge ,Cầu Thê Húc, meaning Rising Sun Bridge, leads to Jade Island. Buildings of the island include the temple, a tower (Thap But), the calligraphy stone (Dai Nghien), the Moon Contemplation Pavilion (Dac Nguyet) and the Pavilion against Waves (Đình Trấn Ba).
Very large, soft shelled turtles used to occupy the lake but the last of the giants died in 2016. The one pictured, over 250kg, died in 1968 and was preserved in the temple. It is a shame to think that these enormous creatures may be gone forever in a fate similar to the great northern rhino, whose last remaining male in the world passed away last week. There is one known male turtle of the species in Vietnam, and one known female in the Yangtze river in China, but it might require a diplomatic event for them to meet.
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