By Progress Udoh
Most often than expected, we notice beyond what technology brings our way. The excitement of travelling on expensive vacations and the exploration of diversity from different ethnicities or provinces. As we travel around the world and explore Vietnam in this crescendo edition of Pendulum Magazine, our sources in Vietnam, made us know that the country has survived several oppositions such as their splitting off from the old China and the Vietnam America war which is considered as the only uncompleted war the US troops embarked upon.
One cannot but notice the beautiful city of Da Nang in the central part of the country, the high level of coordination in Ho Chi Minh City in the south and the ever heavy traffic jam in Hanoi all through the day. The city was recently massively expanded which is a popular thing in Asia at the moment because of the ever-growing rate of civilization.
But one thing still stands out in Hanoi which is the “Hoan Kiem Lake” called the “Lake of Sword”. It still remains the geographical centre of Hanoi, a commercial nerve centre and symbolic to the people of Vietnam and of course, the lake is static. However, the history and stories surrounding the Lake still remain amazing.
Previously known as Thuy Quan Lake, the tale goes that Le Loi King came across a shining metal bar when he visited his friend. It turned out that his friend caught the bar in one of his attempts to fish. The King asked for the bar, took it home and wielded it into a sword. All of a sudden, there were two words printed on the sword “Thuan Thien” which means (harmonious with heaven) Le Loi King then understood that the sword was a gift from heaven.
He used it for the battle against the war with a neighbouring country. At the beginning of 1428, Peace prevailed. And on one of his trips to the Thuy Quan (now Hoan Kiem Lake), there was a tortoise rising above the water, shouting: “Please return the sword to the Dragon King”. Without hesitation, the King threw the sword to the lake. The tortoise took the sword and dove down the Lake. From then on, the colour of Hoan Kiem Lake is not commonly found in other lakes elsewhere in the country.
Greenish, with dark or light shade depending on the reflection of the sky. The lake is full of tortoise, which is second to none to be found among Vietnamese Lakes. If you are lucky, you will catch sight of these giant animals rising out of the water, and because tortoise is considered a sacred animal in Vietnam’s culture (along with Dragon, Phoenix and Unicorn), Hoan Kiem Lake then becomes a holy place that nurtures tortoise. This place is really worth a visit.
Catch a glimpse of nature especially in the evening after a stressful day at work.
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