Young lovers at the mist-shrouded Hoan Kiem lake in the Old Quarter, Hanoi
The legend of Ho Hoan Kiem (Lake of the Restored Sword) goes back to the 15th century when heaven gave Emperor Ly Thai To (Le Loi) a magical sword that he used to drive the Chinese out of Vietnam. One day after the war, while out boating, he came upon a giant golden tortoise swimming on the surface of the water; it grabbed the sword and disappeared into the lake, hence the name - the tortoise returned the sword to its divine owners. Interestingly it is believed there are still giant tortoises in the lake and one, which was caught, is displayed in the small temple on the lake.
From: Asia » Vietnam » Red River Delta » Hanoi
The conquest of Vietnam by France began in 1858 and was completed by 1884. It became part of French Indochina in 1887. Independence was declared after World War II, but the French continued to rule until 1954 when they were defeated by Communist for... [read more]
The conquest of Vietnam by France began in 1858 and was completed by 1884. It became part of French Indochina in 1887. Independence was declared after World War II, but the French continued to rule until 1954 when they were defeated by Communist for... [read more] Blog: Evacuate Hanoi!
Date: February 19th 2005
From Vientiane in Laos we flew to Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam. By this time Denise was not feeling too well and things got worse in Hanoi. We booked in to a pokey wee hotel next to the mist-shrouded Hoan Kiem lake, in the old quarter and attended the local speciality, a water puppet theatre show. Denise eventually had to see a doctor as she hadn't eaten much for about 4 days and certainly was ... read more
Date: February 19th 2005
From Vientiane in Laos we flew to Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam. By this time Denise was not feeling too well and things got worse in Hanoi. We booked in to a pokey wee hotel next to the mist-shrouded Hoan Kiem lake, in the old quarter and attended the local speciality, a water puppet theatre show. Denise eventually had to see a doctor as she hadn't eaten much for about 4 days and certainly was ... read more
Comment on Young lovers at the mist-shrouded Hoan Kiem lake in the Old Quarter, Hanoi
We are a young couple (well, in our 40's) from London. Gerry is a Team Manager in Social Services, working with children in care. Denise is deputy manager of a Children's Centre. From 1st October 2004 we started travelling around the world for a year, first stop India, then SE Asia and on into Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific. Back to London after a stop in Los Angeles and then off to Argentina, Bolivia, Peru, Guatemala and up to Cuba. In November 2005 Gerry went to Uganda in East Africa for 6 months to work with some old friends who run a project called... full info
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