HOAN KIÊM LAKE

The legend of the lake dates back to the creation of the Lê dynasty. Lê Loi, a poor fisherman, went to the lake every day. One stormy evening, the genie of the lake, the Golden Turtle, offered him a sword, announcing that he had been chosen to be the liberator of the people, the one who would fight the Middle Kingdom. After his victory, in 1428, Lê Loi was crowned emperor under the name of Lê Thai Tô, thus founding the Lê dynasty. On another stormy evening, as he lingered alone on the shores of the lake that had changed his destiny, a new bolt of lightning split the sky, the sword was snatched from him and he saw it sink into the depths of the water. It is said that sometimes, in the moonlight, you can catch a glimpse of its brilliant, magical reflection on the sleeping waves.

From legend to natural science. Yet the turtle is nothing like the Loch Ness monster, and its appearances are very real. It's a giant turtle, 2 m long, 1.10 m wide and weighing around 200 kg. The turtle bears a white mark on the back of its head. What species is it? In 2000, Professor Ha Dinh Duc named it Rafetus leloii. He is convinced that this is a special species, of which this giant tortoise is the last specimen. For Douglas Hendrie, a Western expert, the giant tortoise of Lake Hoàn Kiêm belongs to a species also found in China. Vietnam has 28 species of turtle, all of which are on the endangered species list.

The wounded turtle, the captured turtle, but the released turtle. In the first quarter of 2011, the turtle of Hoàn Kiêm Lake lived through some painful hours. Released from the water, it plunged the country into anguish. In recent times, its repeated appearances had revealed that it was suffering from several injuries. It was decided to offer her quarantine, during which time the waters of the lake would be purified. The army's intervention enabled the Turtle to be captured and installed on the islet in the center of the lake, transformed into a convalescence center, complete with artificial pool. After a month's treatment, the turtle was given a release ticket.

The Turtle is gone, but the legend remains. We still don't know the date of birth of Cu Rua, "the Turtle's great-grandmother". What we do know is that she was found dead on the afternoon of January 19, 2016. Shortly before, an unusual cold snap had gripped the capital. It was also the eve of the opening of the 12th National^Congress of the Vietnamese Communist Party, and social networks were quick to relay the news, which was interpreted as a bad omen and caused real dismay among the people of Hanoi, who were very attached to this guardian creature. Initial reports in the official media were briefly censored by the regime, anxious to avoid a controversy in which it would have to contend with the decrees of Heaven. "The old turtle has disappeared, its body having undergone birth, old age, illness and death", said the Hanoi City People's Committee. The giant tortoise died of natural causes. It was embalmed, and since 2019 has been enthroned under a glass cage in the Ngoc Son Temple (Jade Mountain Temple), located on Lake Hoàn Kiêm. As for the legend, it continues to enchant the Lake of the Restored Sword.