One evening after work, I went for a walk round Hoan Kiem Lake, which roughly translates as Lake of the Returned (or Restored) Sword. There seems to be a few versions of the story, but the basic premise is that a King, Le Loi, who ruled Vietnam some 600 years ago, obtained a magic sword from either the Lady of the Lake or The Golden Turtle of the Lake (depending on which version you hear), which used to be called Luc Thuy (Green Water) Lake. Le Loi then used the magic sword to defeat the Chinese. Ten years of fighting for Vietnamese independence later; peace arrived in Vietnam, the King went out on the Lake in a dragon-shaped boat for some R&R with friends. Suddenly a giant turtle appeared at the side of the boat, and
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