[Ngoc Son Temple]
Dinh Tien Hoang, Hanoi, Vietnam
Daily: 8.00am - 5.00pm
Hoan Kiem Lake (lit. Lake of the Returned Sword) is arguably the most scenic spot in the old quarter of the capital city of Vietnam. Situated somewhere towards the middle of it is Thap Rua (lit. Turtle Tower), which is shown in the picture below. Read further to learn about the legend of the turtle.
My BFF and I took a cab after lunch to the entrance of Ngoc Son Temple (lit. Temple of the Jade Mountain). The driver dropped us near this particular monument across the road from the entrance.
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| "Determined to die for the motherland" |
The entrance fee to the temple at the point of writing is the same as that of Temple of Literature, which is VND 20,000 (~S$1.20).
As there were quite a number of visitors that afternoon, it wasn't possible for me to take pictures without anyone standing in front of the camera.
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| Crossing the bridge~ |
The temple, which sits on a small island in the northern part of the lake, is dedicated to Confucian and Taoist philosophers, as well as Tran Hung Dao. The general is a national hero who defeated the Mongols in the 13th century.
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| What a network of burned joss sticks! |
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| Despite the crowd outside, there was a peaceful aura emanating from within the temple. |
Legend has it that Long Vuong, the Dragon King, gave Emperor Le Loi a sword during the latter's revolt against China's Ming Dynasty. In early 1428, Le Loi was on his boat at the lake when Kim Qui, the Golden Turtle God, asked him to return the sword to Long Vuong.
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| I guess Kim Qui was a soft-shell turtle. |
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| That's a depiction of Kim Qui carrying the sword to return it to Long Vuong. |
If not for the haze, the view from the small island would've been even more beautiful.
Before leaving the compound, we took a quick look at the souvenir shop.
It's mentioned that the last turtle residing in the lake was found dead on 19 January 2016 by a local who saw the floating body and subsequently reported it to the authority.
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