(VOVworld) - Summer has finally arrived in Hanoi. The whole city shines bright under warm sunlight. Though Hanoi’s summer is pretty hot with the average temperature of 33 DC, locals and tourists could still feel the slight coolness from the breeze that sometimes sweeps through the trees.

Summer might be the best time to visit Hanoi and Hoan Kiem Lake might be the best destination if one wants to explore Hanoi to the full. 

Located at the center of Hanoi, the 12-hectar freshwater lake always looks tranquil and peaceful. But the picturesque lake is more than just a beautiful site – it is the stuff of legends. According to a tale that dates back to the 15th century, King Le Loi, also known as Le Thai To, the founder of the Le Dynasty, found a holy golden turtle during a cruise on the then Luc Thuy, or green lake. The turtle told the King to return the sacred sword that had helped him defeat the northern Ming aggressors that peace had returned. Le Thai To unsheathed his sword and threw it to the turtle. He later named the lake "Hoan Kiem”, which means the Lake of Returned Sword.

Since then, Hoan Kiem Lake has become a famous historic site as well as the pride of Hanoi. People from all corners of the capital city often gather here on special occasions or normal days to simply enjoy the scenery and to have the true feeling of Hanoi.

It was 6.30. While many people have just woken up, dressed up or quickly grabbed something before rushing to work, Hoan Kiem lake was crowded with tens of, may I say, “people who love to be healthy”. A number of sports activities were taking place around the lake. Some were running. The runners were mostly the elderly, some were young and some were even foreigners. Most of them wore a head phone and sun glasses. Actually, I wasn’t sure about how many rounds they had been running or intended to run but they seemed to enjoy the running very much.

In the shadow, many people were absorbed into their own workouts. Some used the benches to do the sit-up and other abs exercises. Some were practicing meditation, deeply and peacefully. 70-year-old Nguyễn Hữu Thắng has acquired the habit of doing daily physical exercises at Hoan Kiem lake for 15 years: "I think I’ve become totally addicted to practicing exercises at HK lake. I arrive here every day at around 5.30 or 6. I ride my bike 2-3 rounds. After that, I practice the meditation for 15 minutes. Then, I do some small abs exercises and finally go jogging around the lake. I love doing my meditation here in the summer. I often sit in the big shadow, toward the lake. There are many temples and pagodas around here that I can truly feel the spiritual atmosphere."

Anyone coming to HK lake early in the morning could be easily impressed by a group of 20 elders dancing with colorful balls, sometimes, paper fans. They are members of a 30-year-old sports club located in Hang Gai ward. One side was the tranquil lake. The other was the busy traffic. And the middle was the dances. For me, that looked amazingly beautiful. 80-year-old Nguyễn Thị Vượng said morning dancing at HK lake has become a part of her life for 23 years: "We’ve just performed different exercises, from taichi to dances with balls and paper fans. We love this place. First, the lake is surrounded with big green trees so that we can enjoy the cool and fresh air. We can make friends, sing, dance, and talk to each other. Imagine one day, HK lake no longer existed, how could we live? For me, the lake is the lung of the city."

The summer in Hanoi reached its greatest heat at noon. The temperature of nearly 40 DC drove everyone insane. People seemed so tired of sweating that they rushed to come back home or to simply stay at an air-conditioned room, leaving the lake alone but tranquil. However, HK lake was not lonely at all, some people still preferred staying here during the hottest time of the day to find themselves some peace. Nguyễn Lan Phương from Hanoi is someone like that: "I have been a white-collar staff for 30 years. My work is pretty stressful, sometimes boring. I have to be friends with the computer and numbers every time I go to the office. That’s why I often drive myself here almost every noon just to sit on this bench, looking toward the giant four-faced clock on top of the Hanoi Post Office, and remind myself of beautiful memories in the past. Noon is the time when the sun is rising high and the lake surface is quiet and placid. And for me, HK lake is most beautiful at this time."

I decided to sit on a bench under the big shadow of the phoenix tail tree to take a short rest and to observe the beauty of Hoan Kiem Lake. Thap Rua or Tortoise Tower looked sparkling under the glorious sunshine. The three-tiered pavilion, with its reflection shimmering in the lake, has stayed at the middle of the lake and become Hanoi’s most prevalent icon.

Crossing over the striking The Huc Bridge, an arch of red-lacquered wood poetically labeled the “place where morning sunlight rests”, the secluded Ngoc Son Temple, “Temple of the Jade Mound”, sheltering among ancient trees.

HK lake looked like a picture composed by full of colors: green of the trees, yellow of the sunlight, red of the The Huc Bridge, white of the benches, and vivid colors of various flowers. Flowers are grown in lanes and receive daily care from a group of special people, employees from the environmental sanitation company. Nguyễn Thị Huyền have been doing this job for 26 years: "Every day, I and my team collect the rubbish and plant and water the flowers. There are many kinds of flowers around HK lake, as you can see, here are chrysanthemum flowers, some are gerberas, over there are roses. The work is not easy for a woman like me, especially in these hot days, it become very tiring. But generally I enjoy it a lot. I remember when my team decorated banners and posters around the lake on special occasions. Many locals and foreign tourists took photos and commended us. That “small gift” made us really touched and happy."

Time passed by quickly. The night was falling. The streets became crowded. The lake was lightened up with colorful lights. Everything looked gorgeous. I was walking around the lake, and opps! Was that a flash from a camera? Oh yeah, it was. Many people love to come here at night and snap some beautiful shots of Hoan Kiem lake. Clement from Lyon, France, has been living Vietnam for a year and is working on a project of making documentaries. "I really like the atmosphere at night. First it’s kind of fresh after a long time of heat and pressure. I come almost every night. I walk around or ride my motorbike. And most of the time I sit on the bench, there are sometimes Vietnamese students coming, talk to me to practice English. We exchange a lot. That’s pretty nice! And one more thing I wanna say is that around the lake is really peaceful for sure, but also very safe. People come with their children and let them hang around. In some lakes in western countries, they wouldn’t do anything like this. They won’t let their child play in the park without much care. In Lyon, the old quarters are some hotspots. They are also very nice at night but it’s never peaceful. It can be peaceful in the restaurants but when you get outside, you’ll never feel completely safe but here it’s the feeling that they always have, they will never have to be worry about anything. "

People gathered here at night to find some joy after a hard working day. Some were taking photos, some were walking their dogs, some were walking with their families and friends, having small talks, enjoying yummy fruity ice-creams, and some were …. 

Listen! What did that sound come from? Ah hah, a group of people were joining Latin dances over there, under the big tree. They seemed enjoyed the dances very much. The amateur dancers were facing each other: the man positioned his right hand on the lady's left shoulder blade. The lady placed her left hand on the man's right shoulder. And they were moving gently along the music, smiling happily. Lê Thị Hảo is the leader of the dancing group: "Since I retired, I felt very bored. That’s why I decided to join this dancing club. No matter how old we are, we come here every evening to talk, relieve stress and practice dancing, which is my passion for many years. This is the city center so there are many people passing by. Many have become our loyal audience. I think, dancing at HK lake is a great way to promote Vietnamese culture."

Felix, a tourist from Switzerland, has been standing watching the dances for half an hour: "I was surprised to hear some latin American music. They’re dancing salsa. In Vietnam, I didn’t expect this. It’s great to see people dancing South American music. It’s my forth time here and I’ll sure be back for the 5^th time. I spent 3 days in Hanoi. I met quite a lot of interesting people here. Most of them are students. They’re trying to improve their English by talking to foreigners. I really enjoy it."

Well, I just wanted to stay at HK lake until the next morning to enjoy this breathtaking beauty one more time. I feel like never being tired of walking around this special corner. But, let’s go home and let HK lake have sometime to breathe. We will definitely come back one day and share interesting pieces of stories together. 

Phuong Khanh