Hoan Kiem Lake

Hoan Kiem means the returned sword, from the legend that Le Loi, who drove the Ming out in the fifteenth century, was given a magic sword by a golden turtle in this lake and returned it here after the victory. That story attached to a real animal: a giant softshell turtle of the species Rafetus swinhoei lived in the lake and was regarded as sacred, surfacing rarely; it died in January 2016 and was preserved and displayed at Ngoc Son temple on its island. The species is now among the most endangered on earth. The lake is the centre of Hanoi socially - walked, exercised around, and closed to traffic at weekends.

What you actually see

• The sword legend - Le Loi returning the blade to the turtle.
• The lake's own turtle - which died in January 2016 and is preserved on the island.
• Ngoc Son temple - on its islet, reached by a red bridge.
• A weekend car-free zone - the streets round the lake closed to traffic.

When to go

Year round; weekends for the pedestrian streets. Two hours.

Honest expectations

It is busy at all hours and very busy at weekends. The water is not clean. The temple charges and is crowded. The turtle on display is a preserved specimen, which some visitors find uncomfortable.

Nearby

The old quarter is north; the opera house and French quarter are south-east.