HOMECOTEL- BUY AND SALE HOUSE IN VIETNAMWest Lake
Monday, January 20, 2014
Hanoi’s largest freshwater lake, West Lake has a circumference of 17km and houses many of the city’s historic places of interest around its perimeter – including Vietnam’s oldest pagoda and one of Vietnam’s four sacred temples.Previously, West Lake has other names such as: Xac Cao, Kim Nguu Lake, Lang Bac, Dam Dam, Hoai Ho, which is the largest natural lake in Hanoi city.The Lake has an area of 500 hectares that is located on the northwest of downtown Hanoi.
History
According to one legend, the place was originally thickly wooded and inhabited by a fox demon with nine tails. The monster was later killed by the Dragon King, the ancestor of the Việt people, who drowned it under floods of water, thereby creating a lake. Another legend tells us that the Vietnamese monk Không Lộ (11th century), who rendered great services to the emperor of China, was allowed to take back to the country large amounts of bronze which he used to cast an enormous bell. Well the bell was rung, its sound was so powerful and carried so far that the Golden Calf, thinking it was its buffalo-mother’s voice calling, hurriedly rushed south to her, and in its frantic search for her turned up mounds of earth and brought into existence an enormous hollow which filled with water and became a lake.
In the middle ages, many places and pavilions were built by the Lý, Trần and Lê kings and the Trịnh seigneurs. They stood on the banks of West Lake and also at the edge of Lake Trúc Bạch, separated from it by the Cổ Ngư causeway, now renamed the Youth promenade. Trúc Bạch means white silk woven at the Ivory Bamboo village. A pavilion was built there by a Trịnh seigneur, where he relegated his neglected concubines. The poor women devoted their time to silk weaving. The product of their looms was a very beautiful kind of white silk.
In 1802, a scholar named Nguyễn Huy Lượng wrote a piece of rimmed prose (phú) which became famous. It was entitled Hymn to the West Lake. It sang the beauty of the landscape and glorified the achievements of the Tây Sơn Dynasty which had driven out the Qing invaders and brought peace to the country.
The lake used to be part of the Red River when it was a retreat reserved for the relaxation of mandarins and kings, today the lake offers so much to enjoy with a unique fusion of nature at her best and some of the most historic cultural sights in the whole of Vietnam.
West Lake is a beautiful place to while away an afternoon, there are boats for hire and lunch on a floating restaurant makes a novel dining option. West Lake is not only the ideal destination but also contained the value of the nation. There are 21 temples or communal houses around the lake which are listed in the national heritage list with many famous vestiges and objects. Among them, the Quan Thanh temple, Tran Quoc pagoda and Tay Ho temple are the famous tourist destinations of the West Lake.
Tran Quoc pagoda is one of the most ancient pagodas in Vietnam. Located beside the Thanh Niên Road, it is in the area of Yen Phu village with the temple honoring the God. There is a procession of the temple to pagoda every year with the group of boat. The pagoda was built since VI century. In 1615, the river side was broken to the side of the pagoda; therefore it is relocated inside the deck. The pagoda was renamed many times: An Quoc, Tran Bac, Tran Quoc, etc.
West Lake is an interesting destination for tourists. At the reign of Ly-Tran, the King built many palaces around the lake such as: Thuy Hoa Palace of Ly dynasty, Ham Nguyen Palace of Tran dynasty. On the quite windy day, boating on West Lake is elegant sense. If you have a walk around the lake, you will visit many relics and landscape. Nghi Tam Village, hometown of poet "Ba Huyen Thanh Quan" with Kim Lien Pagoda, has unique architecture. Nhat Tan Village, where Lac Thi gave birth to 7 dragons has peach blossom spring. Xuan Tao Village has Soc Temple, Trich Sai Village has Thien Nien pagoda… West Lake along with Truc Bach Lake enrichs the poetry of Hanoi and also enrich for Hanoi economy.
Besides, Tay Ho also attracts customers for having the range of restaurant with the famous Banh Tom West Lake and Bun Oc (noodle of shellfish soup). Shrimp and shellfish are caught right in the West Lake. Tourists will have opportunity to enjoy traditional Ho Tay Shrimp Cake. A special trait of culture is versed in food Thang Long Hanoi and also special meals of Asian - Europe full of poetries delight of water, cloud, wind and Vietnam green trees.
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