West Lake The Hanoi’s Lung

West Lake is one famous palace of Hanoi . Since Thang Long was selected as the capital of Dai Viet, the West Lake region has actively participated in the process of Thang Long cultural establishment. West Lake is an ancient land,a specific cultural space of Hanoi capital. West Lake was created from a curved part of Red River and appeared in several Vietnamese legends. One legend suggests that West Lake was shaped after the battle between Lac Long Quan and a night-tail fox spirit, that’s why the lake was once called “Fox Corpse Swamp” (Vietnamese: Đầm Xác Cáo). Another folk story claimed that original name of the lake is “Golden Buffalo Lake” (Vietnamese: Hồ Trâu Vàng, or Han Viet: Hồ Kim Ngưu) . The most popular is the legend of the golden buffalo. As the story goes, there once was a medicine man who was a giant. He is well known in Vietnam for his medicine practice and the king often used him to treat the royal family. His fame reached China and he was invited to China to treat the king. He was successful where others have failed so the king was going to reward him with great wealth. He refused offerings of gold and only requested that the king give him all the black copper in the king’s vault. The king agreed and the giant left for Vietnam with vast amounts of black copper. In Vietnam the giant molded a giant bell of black copper. The giant rang the bell and the sound resonated all the way to China. In the king’s vault there was a golden buffalo. Upon hearing the sound of the bell, the buffalo came to life (because he thought that his mother was calling him) and charged southward. Upon reaching Ha Noi, the buffalo trampled the land in the area near Red river. Over the years, this area filled with water and became Ho Tay or West Lake .

Bat Trang Pottery Village

Bát Tràng village is located 13km away from Hanoi’s center. It’s an ancient village, which is very famous for making ceramic products. If you have known about Việt Nam, you may not be surprised that Bát Tràng’s vases, bowls, dishes, and many other kinds of ceramic products have been exported worldwide. Bát Tràng Village is said to be established in the 14th or 15th century in several documents. However, according to the villagers, the village perhaps appeared earlier. There are always two stories concerning the village’s origin. One of these tells that under Lý Dynasty, in 1100, when the nation was in its independence and initial growth period, there were three scholars who came back from their mission trip to China bringing the ceramic craft industry learned there back to Việt Nam and taught the people of Bát Tràng. In the other story, the village history dates back to the 10th century, when King Lý Công Uẩn relocated the capital in Thăng Long. With the establishment and development of the capital, many businessmen, crafters from many areas come to settle down here to work and trade. In Bát Tràng, there was a lot of white clay, so that many potters… To get to Bát Tràng from Hanoi, you can go to Long Biên bus station and get Bus No. 47 (Long Biên – Bát Tràng). A bus ticket costs VND 3,000 (equivalent to 20 US cents). The bus ride takes 30 minutes one way and the bus stops in front of the ceramic market. It is also possible to go there by boat along the Red River. Other than the ceramic market, it’s great to walk around the village, visit some local houses which are the factories and Bát Tràng pagoda.

Ngoc Son Temple

Ngoc Son Temple is a temple on a small island in the middle of Hoàn Kiếm Lake. Initially, the temple was called Ngoc Son Pagoda and was later renamed Ngoc Son Temple, since temples are dedicated to saints. When Ly Cong Uan moved his capital to Thang Long, Ngoc Tuong is named the temple, to the life renamed Tran Ngoc Son. Here was erected a temple to worship the smiles heroic martyrs who sacrificed in the resistance against the Mongolian Highlands. Later he collapsed house long, up to the Le Huu Vinh (1735 – 1739), lord Trinh Thuy Giang Khanh and also covering up the mountain land on the east coast facing the mountain called Ngoc Son Dao Tai and Ngoc Boi. Later in life the Le Thuy Khanh also Chieu Thong was destroyed. A charity named Tin Trai, the same old people have established a temple called Ngoc Son Pagoda. On the occasion of sole edit temple Quan Ngoc Son pagoda, all signed “sole military Ngoc Son Temple” was composed in 1843 wrote: “… Hope formerly known Ta Ho Hoan Kiem Lake is a land and landscapes Economy ancient period. The north lake, a large mound emerged about three of four nests, Legend is a fishing spot radio last time Le. Previously, he Tin Trai village of Nhi Khe Quan De temples here are four more open to change is called Ngoc Son temple …”. In August 1865, Nguyen Van Sieu standing Confucian repaired the temple. At each change covering more land and build stone embankment around, Tran Ba home building, a bridge from the north east coast to the bridge called The Huc. The Huc bridge name that is retained beautiful light of the sun. The Huc bridge leading to Ngoc Son Temple Gate, also known as Dac Nguyet Lau (floor is white) team with the collection tree, the trees in the middle of a thickset, like emergence from the water. Temple of connecting together two throne, the first temple to the North Church and Van Xuong Tran Hung Dao. Subjects placed on harem of about 1 meter high stone pedestal, the two sides have two stone stairs. Wenchang statue standing, holding a pen. Tran Ba south is home (home-sure waves implies pillar withstand the wave of unfair in contemporary culture). Home eight square roof, roof two floors with 8 column prop, four out of stone columns, four columns of wood. Although the temple is a new architecture, but Ngoc Son Temple is a typical spatial and architectural artifacts. The combination of temples and lakes have formed an overall architecture Emperor – Human merge, creating the ancient beauty, harmony, posted to the temple and the lake, should suggest the feeling chan Republic between people and nature .

Chua Mot Cot

Chua Mot Cot or the One Pillar Pagoda has become the symbol of Vietnamese rich culture and history. The pagoda was first built in 1049 under the Ly Dynasty, on the west side of the ancient Thang Long Capital. The pagoda was built in the reign of king Ly Thai Tong . It was built after the description of a dream of King Ly Thai Tong who reigned between 1028 and 1054, in which Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara, the Goddess of Mercy, led him to a lotus flower. The One Pillar Pagoda resembles a giant lotus blossom. The temple was located in what was then the Tây Cấm Garden in Thạch Bảo, Vĩnh Thuận district in the capital Thăng Long (now known as Hanoi). Before the pagoda was opened, prayers were held for the longevity of the monarch. During the Lý Dynasty era, the temple was the site of an annual royal ceremony on the occasion of Vesak, the birthday of Gautama Buddha. A Buddha-bathing ceremony was held annually by the monarch, and it attracted monks and laymen alike to the ceremony. The monarch would then free a bird, which was followed by the people. The temple was renovated in 1105 by Emperor Lý Nhân Tông and a bell was cast and an installation was attempted in 1109. However, the bell, which was regarded as one of the four major capital works of Vietnam at the time, was much too large and heavy, and could not be installed. Since it could not be tolled while left on the ground, it was moved into the countryside and deposited in farmland adjacent to Nhất Trụ Temple. This land was widely inhabited by turtles, so the bell came to be known as Quy Điền chung, which means Bell of the Turtle Farmland. At the start of the 15th century, Vietnam was invaded and occupied by the Minh Dynasty. In 1426, the future Emperor Lê Lợi attacked and dispersed the Chinese forces, and while the Minh were in retreat and low on weapons, their commanding general ordered that the bell be smelted, so that the copper could be used for manufacturing weaponry. In 1954, the French Union forces destroyed the pagoda before withdrawing from Vietnam after the First Indochina War, It was rebuilt afterwards

Hoan Kiem Lake

Hoan Kiem Lake( Sword Lake) is a lake in the historical center of Hanoi, the capital city of Vietnam. Hoan Kiem Lake was once a part of the Red river (song Hong). Through thousands of years of changes in the geography, the lake moved eastward to its present position many kilometers from the river. The lake was once called Luc Thuy or Green Water because the water was green year round. In the fifteen century, the lake was named Ho Hoan Kiem, based of a legend that is quite similar to King Arthur and the Lady of the Lake’s legend. The legend tells that the blade of the sword, inscribed with the words ‘The Will of Heaven’ (Thuan Thien), came from the Dragon King in his underwater palace. A fisherman, who later joined Le Loi’s army, caught the blade of the sword in his net. The hilt was found by Le Loi himself in a banyan tree. The stories claim Le Loi grew very tall when he used the sword and that it gave him the strength of many men. The story relates how one day, not long after the Chinese had accepted Vietnam as an independent country, Le Loi was out boating on the Green Water Lake (Luc Thuy). Suddenly a large turtle surfaced, took the sword fro m Le Loi’s belt, and dived back into the depths, carrying the glowing sword in his mouth. Efforts were made to find both the sword and the turtle but without success. Le Loi then acknowledged that the sword had gone back to the Dragon King with the Golden Turtle (Kim Quy), and he renamed the lake ‘The Lake of the Returned Sword’ (Hoan Kiem Lake). At the northern end of Hoan Kiem Lake is an islet on which stands a small tower. Called Thap Rua (Turtle Tower), this structure honors the magic turtle that still guards the sword of Le Loi. On the top of Turtle Tower there used to stand a version of the Statue of Liberty, placed there by the French. The statue was destroyed when the Tran Trong Kim government took over the city from the French administration in 1945. Nowadays, Thap Rua and Hoan Kiem Lake have become important symbols of both peace and patriotism to the people of Hanoi.