Hoàn Kiếm Lake, Central lake in Hanoi, Vietnam

Hoan Kiem is a freshwater body in the center of Hanoi, surrounded by wide pedestrian paths and densely planted shores. A red-painted wooden bridge leads from the northern bank to a small wooded island that holds a temple.

In the 15th century, the leader Le Loi is said to have received a magical sword from a divine turtle that helped him defeat the Chinese occupation. After the victory, he returned the weapon here, giving the body of water its current name.

The name means Lake of the Returned Sword, recalling the legend in which the weapon was given back to the Dragon King through a turtle. Early morning sees locals practicing tai chi along the paved shoreline paths, while evenings turn the area into a meeting spot for walkers and street performers.

A continuous path loops around the entire shore and offers many benches plus shaded stretches beneath trees. The best time to visit is early morning or after sunset, when fewer people are around and humidity drops slightly.

The lake was long home to large soft-shell turtles, identified as Rafetus swinhoei or a separate species named Rafetus leloi after Emperor Lê Lợi. The last known individual was found dead on January 19, 2016; three of the species survive elsewhere.