Known as one of the biggest lakes in Vietnam, poetic West Lake in Hanoi is also popular among the locals with its poetic graceful beauty, laying in the mirror-like and peaceful water surface. The lake is the ideal site for the residents in the area to go jogging in the afternoon. Sometimes in the evening, riding your bike around the lake you may find some sweet young couples giving each other intimate, melting kisses…
Long ago, the lake was a branch of the Red river but later, as the river changed course, the lake remained a body of water just west of the river. There are many legends associated with West Lake. The most popular is the legend of the golden buffalo. As the story goes, there once was a medicine man who was a giant. He is well known in Vietnam for his medicine practice and the king often used him to treat the royal family.
His fame reached China and he was invited to China to treat the king. He was successful where others have failed so the king was going to reward him with great wealth. He refused offerings of gold and only requested that the king give him all the black copper in the king’s vault. The king agreed and the giant left for Vietnam with vast amounts of black copper. In Vietnam, the giant molded a giant bell of black copper. The giant rang the bell and the sound resonated all the way to China. In the king’s vault, there was a golden buffalo.
Aroused by the sound of the bell, the buffalo came to life (since he was convinced that his mother was calling him) heading southward. Upon reaching Ha Noi, the buffalo trampled the land in the area near Red river. Over the years, the holes, or the buffalo’s footprints were filled with water and became Ho Tay or West Lake. Ho Tay has always been an area for vacationing royalties. back to the days Ha Noi was still the capital city, the kings from the Ly and Tran dynasty built summer homes along the lake. In the northern end of the lake, there are several villages famous for their flowers and fruits plantations. For instance, they are Nghi Tam village, which is the birthplace of Ba Huyen Thanh Quan, one of the most Vietnam’s premier Poetesses.
As in the days of Vietnam’s emperors, during the last decade or so, West Lake has once again become Hanoi’s most fashionable address, complete with exclusive residential developments, lakeside clubs, spas and a clutch of luxury hotels. A lakeside walk makes a pleasant excursion with one or two sights to aim for. In the seventeenth century, villagers built a causeway across the lake’s southeast corner, creating a small fishing lake now called Truc Bach and ringed with little cafés.
Winding path along West Lake are home to some century-old trees, which provide the streets with cool shade during harsh summers. You can bike partway around the lake and even see some people swimming in it. A lot of expats live around here and there are so good hidden spots for a meal and a glass of wine. In case you wonder which bus to get on, take bus No. 55. west lake is surrounded by some entertainment center such as West Lake waterpark, Tran Quoc pagoda, Quan Thanh temple, Nghi Tam communal house…