Wandering Ha Noi, Viet Nam #3

Still roaming around Ha Noi.....The capital city of Viet Nam....

Apparently, I have so many stories to tell, yet so little time to do so..well, story of my life :D> (aaah, jadi curcol :D)....

By the way...this series of photos should come before my Ha Noi saga #2...as I really took my freedom to have a leisure walk in the park...

By the time I arrived in Hoan Kiem Lake, I immediately took a deep breath and smiled..
Yuuup...early morning fresh air proved to be a good dose of energy to start my day..

After briefly walking around the same corner last night, my eyes captured lovely green water of the lake and realized that this very spot was as vibrant as last night..(wanna know what happened last night? Check out my previous page :D)

Families of young and old jogged and joked around....
Lovebirds with locking hands intimately sat on the bench..
Solitaires sat on the bench waiting...
who are you waiting for, girl...
Kids kicked the balls toys on the pathwalk...








Grannies on wheelchair smiled to passersby...













Mommies lined up for a refreshing tai chi sessions...sooo refreshing...





wanna go around the city, missy....

Students introduced themselves to foreigners and practiced their English...




















Rickshaw riders waved their paddy-hats (not the one on the photos. tho' :D) and invited everyone to get on their rickshaws...








Tourists posed and took pictures  (including me :D )...

Sepintas, mirip dengan negeri kita tercinta yah :D....
" I hope he won't be late again this time/..."

Come on mom, a few more metres and we'll sit :)...



















I could go ooon and oooon with this :D..

But one thing for sure...I really enjoy this perfect mix of culture and spirits
It warmed my heart..

Again, I tried to recall that perhaps this is the ASEAN spirit...

I was almost certain that I feel the same way as I traveled around this south-east Asian nations
The same brotherhood and sisterhood that bound us together..
Aaah jadi mellow begini :D...

Anyway...kayaknya aku punya hutang cerita deh ya....

Let's get back to the lake now and plunge deeper :p..
Wanna hear the story of the lake? What lake?
Ho Hoan Kiem or Hoan Kim Lake...that's what I'm talking about...

I know you probably have heard the same story before from the websites or else.. And the brochures said the same :D..

Well here it is..

It involved a hero, a sword and a giaaaaant turtle.. 

The telltale started when the King, or rather an Emperor, of Viet Nam,  Le Thian To, was fighting for its freedom from the Chinese. Long story short, he was bestowed by a magical fairy sword, believed to be given by the God of Golden Turtle... Wow.. Can you imagine that.. Turtle God! Then after 10 years of struggle, they won. Viet Nam was free from the enemies (of that time) and prosper. Then, one day, when their hero was cruising the lake, then this giant turtle emerged from the lake, grabbed the sword and returned it to Gods, to whom it belonged.. I guess that's where the name of the lake was originated..
Hoan Kiem Lake... The lake of the returned sword
And that legendary giant turtle ... Well, believe it or not, its dried sample was displayed inside the pagoda and I saw it myself...

So, that's the legend...
Even without such an intriguing telltale Ho Hoan Kiem is a magnet to everyone...

Calm ambience,  clear and clean greeny water, combined with pathwalk along the lake, big trees and flowers, as well as comfy benches, make people tend to stay and relax for a while...
As you gaze around, you will see Turtle Tower, stagering on top of a small island, on one side and the red bridge and Ngoc Son Pagoda on the other side..



Turtle tower....

Turtle tower is beautifully lit in the evening as well.. 


Legend said many turtles emerged in this tiny island on the lake during 1984 drought...that's why the Government and communities took extra efforts to save those creatures...

Then as you walk towards Ngoc Son Temple, you won't miss the red bridge...even early in the morning, many people already come and go passing this lovely place, either to pray or just roam around like me...



 Wanna see what it Ngoc Son Temple like? stick around then and wait for my next page :D>.....

6 comments:

  1. Wow! Wow! Wow! May I put more Wow here as my expression admiring the pictures, legend and your notes, Mak? :D

    You know, you are successfully attracted me to include this country and location into my next destination. Wish to be there, soon. Thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mak Alaikaaaa....glad to know you enjoy it as much as I do...as eager as I want to tirelessly travel around our wonderful Indonesia, Viet Nam will be a great place to visit...I know you will visit this beautiful country..I bet you will :D...more photos and stories are comiiing :D,,,,

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  2. emaaaaakkk mupeeeeng! mupeng juga bisa jago bahas inggris :D aku ga ngerti Mak tulisannya apa aja artinyaaa. Hahhaahhaha -_____-

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mak Isti (eh, bener kaan :D...) ...makasih lho dah mampir...mupeng jalannya kaan...ayo ayooo...seru traveling ke negara tetangga, apalagi ASEAN..bebas visa, murah meriah, seru et banyak tempat keren...soal bahasa inggris, aku juga masih belajar maaak :D....

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  3. Ih ini... keliatan bgt jago fotografi.. april maubke vietnam tapi ho chi minh city.. telenin yuk

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. judulnya suka fotografi mak Nurul, masih jauuuuh dari jago...asyik dooong ke Ho Chi Minh, aku belum sampe sana tuuuh ...ditunggu ceritanya :D...mungkin diving bareng duluuu aja yuuuk :D...

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