3 Lake/ River/ Ponds to Explore in Hanoi

This is not a Botanical Garden but a lush green park in the city center. The park was established in 1890 by the French and originally stretched over 33 hectares, but has since been squeezed to a mere 10 to make room for development.

Hoan Kiem Lake means "Lake of the Returned Sword". According to the legend, after defeating the Ming China in early 1428, Emperor Lê Lợi was boating on the lake when a Golden Turtle God surfaced and asked for his magic sword. Lợi concluded that the turtle god had come to reclaim the sword that its master, a local God, the Dragon King had given to Lợi. The Emperor later gave the sword back to the turtle after he finished fighting off the Chinese.

Oldest Buddhist temple in Hanoi, is located on a small island near the southeastern shore of Hanoi's West Lake. The temple was originally constructed in the sixth century during the reign of Emperor Lý Nam Đế. When founded the temple was sited on the shores of the Red River, outside of the Yen Phu Dyke. Due to the river's encroachment, the temple was relocated in 1615 to Kim Ngu islet of West Lake where it is now situated.