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Turtle Tower (), also called Tortoise Tower is a small tower in the middle of Hoan Kiem Lake (Sword Lake) in central
Hồ Hoàn Kiếm
Tháp Rùa nhìn từ vệ tinh
{{Hanoi Tourism Lakes of Hanoi Buildings and structures in Hanoi Historical sites in Hanoi Lakes of Vietnam
Turtle Tower (), also called Tortoise Tower is a small tower in the middle of Hoan Kiem Lake (Sword Lake) in central Hanoi
Hanoi or Ha Noi ( or ; vi, Hà Nội ) is the capital and second-largest city of Vietnam. It covers an area of . It consists of 12 urban districts, one district-leveled town and 17 rural districts. Located within the Red River Delta, Hanoi is ...
, Vietnam
Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...
.
History
The island was first used as a fishing site. In the 1400s, underLê Thánh Tông
Lê Thánh Tông (黎聖宗; 25 August 1442 – 3 March 1497), personal name Lê Hạo, temple name Thánh Tông, courtesy name Tư Thành, was an emperor of Đại Việt, reigning from 1460 to 1497, the fifth and the longest-reigning empe ...
a tower was erected to improve the comfort of the king's fishing.
In the 17th and 18th centuries, under the Restored Lê dynasty, the Trịnh lords
The Trịnh lords ( vi, Chúa Trịnh; Chữ Nôm: 主鄭; 1545–1787), formal title Trịnh Viceroy (; ), also known as Trịnh clan (鄭氏, ''Trịnh thị'') or the House of Trịnh, were a noble feudal clan who de facto ruled Northern Viet ...
had Ta Vong Temple built on the islet.
In the 18th century, under the Nguyễn lords
Nguyễn () is the most common Vietnamese surname. Outside of Vietnam, the surname is commonly rendered without diacritics as Nguyen. Nguyên (元）is a different word and surname.
By some estimates 39 percent of Vietnamese people bear this su ...
the temple disappeared.
In 1886, while Vietnam was occupied by the French, a musician who was secretly working for the French, received permission from the government to build a tower in the middle of Hoan Kiem Lake in honor of Lê Lợi
Lê Lợi (, Chữ Hán: 黎利; c. 10 September 1384/1385 – 5 October 1433), also known by his temple name as Lê Thái Tổ (黎太祖) and by his pre-imperial title Bình Định vương (平定王; "Prince of Pacification"), was a Vietname ...
, one of the most famous figures of Vietnamese history and one of its greatest heroes. Legends surrounding his life involving the sword, Thuận Thiên and Hoan Kiem turtle
The Hoàn Kiếm turtle, also ''Rafetus leloii'', was an obsolete or controversial taxon of turtle from Southeast Asia, based on specimens from Hoàn Kiếm Lake in Hanoi, Vietnam. Most experts classify this turtle as synonymous with the rare ...
are associated with Hoan Kiem Lake and the island.
The musician planned to secretly bury his father within the tower. Residents of the city discovered his plans and removed his father's body from the structure. The three-story tower was still completed and was originally named Ba hộ Kim Tower.
In 1890, the French erected a miniature Statue of Liberty on top of the tower. In 1945, after French control was overthrown, the Vietnamese government had the statue removed.
See also
*Hoan Kiem turtle
The Hoàn Kiếm turtle, also ''Rafetus leloii'', was an obsolete or controversial taxon of turtle from Southeast Asia, based on specimens from Hoàn Kiếm Lake in Hanoi, Vietnam. Most experts classify this turtle as synonymous with the rare ...
References
External links
*Hồ Hoàn Kiếm
Tháp Rùa nhìn từ vệ tinh
{{Hanoi Tourism Lakes of Hanoi Buildings and structures in Hanoi Historical sites in Hanoi Lakes of Vietnam