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The Lakes of Hanoi

Hanoi, Vietnam

Photo of West Lake (Ho Tay) Fisherman on Floating Platform

Photo by David Coleman. How to license & download this image.

Vietnam // Hanoi Vietnam· Southeast Asia Location: [post_gps_latitude], [post_gps_longitude]

Hanoi has a lot of lakes. The city, built on lowlands between rivers, is even sometimes known as the “city of lakes.” They provide a scenic and tranquil respite from the crushing traffic and incessant bustle in other parts of the city.

Unfortunately, as you’d expect from a bustling, industrialized city of several million people (estimates range from 3.5 to 7 million) in a country with a decidedly mixed record of dealing with environmental challenges, most of those lakes are severely polluted. It’s not unusual for thousands of fish to turn up floating belly-up on the surface. And that, for the environmental health of the city and residents, not to mention the local fishermen, isn’t a good sign.

I came to when I hit the water. Wearing about fifty pounds of gear, I touched the bottom of the shallow lake and kicked off with my good leg. I did not feel any pain as I broke the surface, and I didn’t understand why I couldn’t move my arms to toggle on my life vest. I sank to the bottom again. When I broke the surface the second time I managed to inflate my life vest by pulling the toggle with my teeth. Then I blacked out again.” [John McCain]1

Ho Hoan Kiem (Hoan Kiem Lake) sits in the middle of Hanoi’s Old Quarter, the cultural and historic heart of the city. While not especially big, the lake is a beautiful setting for the Thap Rua (Turtle Tower) and provides an aquatic home to the elusive and revered Hoan Kiem Turtle. The Ngoc Son Temple (Temple of the Jade Mountain) sits on a small island on the southern end. And the tree-lined banks of the lake provide a calming setting for locals doing their dawn Tai Chi or an evening stroll.

Not far from the Old Quarter, Ho Tay (West Lake), Hanoi’s largest lake, is picturesque in a different way. It still boasts some temples and parks on its shores. But it also has apartment buildings that some of the city’s more affluent residents call home. West Lake is a popular place for recreation boating and fishing, although with all the pollutants in the water I’m not sure I’d knowingly eat the fish that’s caught there, regardless of how fresh it might be.

Right next to it, separated only by a narrow, artificially built roadway, the much smaller Ho Truc Bach (Truc Bach Lake) is famous for a different reason. It’s here that John McCain crashed when shot down in October 1967 during a bombing mission to knock out, for a second time, a power plant on the lake’s shores. But his plane was downed by the city’s formidable antiaircraft defenses–at the time Hanoi was one of the most heavily protected cities in the world. He landed in the water, weighed down with equipment and seriously injured. Fighting his way to the surface, he was dragged from water by North Vietnamese, beaten, and then taken to Hao Lo Prison, known sarcastically by the POWs as the Hanoi Hilton.1

Photos of Hanoi’s Lakes

Hanoi's Turtle Tower and Island on Hoan Kiem Lake Reflection

Photo by David Coleman. How to license & download this image.

Photo of West Lake in Hanoi Vietnam

Photo by David Coleman. How to license & download this image.

Photo of West Lake (Ho Tay) Hanoi Fisherman on a wooden pier

Photo by David Coleman. How to license & download this image.

Photo of West Lake Hanoi Building Reflection

Photo by David Coleman. How to license & download this image.

Photo of Wooden Jetty on West Lake (Ho Tay) Hanoi

Photo by David Coleman. How to license & download this image.

Artist sketching at Hoan Kiem Lake

Photo by David Coleman. How to license & download this image.

Photo of Paddle boats as swans at West Lake in Hanoi

Photo by David Coleman. How to license & download this image.

Photo of West Lake Hanoi Reflections in Channel

Photo by David Coleman. How to license & download this image.

Hoan Kiem Lake City Lights

Photo by David Coleman. How to license & download this image.

Hanoi's Hoan Kiem Lake at Night with Lights

Photo by David Coleman. How to license & download this image.

Photo of West Lake (Ho Tay) Hanoi Wooden Boats Moored on the shore

Photo by David Coleman. How to license & download this image.

The Huc Bridge Hoan Kiem Lake Hanoi

Photo by David Coleman. How to license & download this image.

Photo of West Lake (Ho Tay) Hanoi Fisherman on end of a wooden jetty

Photo by David Coleman. How to license & download this image.

Photo of West Lake (Ho Tay) Hanoi Wooden Sampans Moored

Photo by David Coleman. How to license & download this image.

The Huc Bridge Hoan Kiem Lake Hanoi

Photo by David Coleman. How to license & download this image.

Hoan Kiem Lake Hanoi City Lights

Photo by David Coleman. How to license & download this image.

Hanoi--08-COPYRIGHT-HAVECAMERAWILLTRAVEL.COM.jpg

Photo by David Coleman. How to license & download this image.

Photo of West Lake Hanoi Houses on Stilts

Photo by David Coleman. How to license & download this image.

Photo of Ho Tay (West Lake) Hanoi with Paddle Boats

Photo by David Coleman. How to license & download this image.

Hoan Kiem Lake with Couple on Park Bench

Photo by David Coleman. How to license & download this image.

The Huc Bridge Hoan Kiem Lake Hanoi

Photo by David Coleman. How to license & download this image.

The Huc Bridge Hoan Kiem Lake Hanoi

Photo by David Coleman. How to license & download this image.

More Photos

I have more high-resolution images of Hanoi’s lakes.

Map


  1. John McCain and Mark Salter, Faith of My Fathers (New York: Random House, 1999) 189. ↩ ↩

Where to Next?

  • Tran Quoc Pagoda Hanoi Monk Praying
    Hanoi's Oldest Pagoda
  • Hanoi One Pillar Pagoda Branches 327-0535413038
    Hanoi's One Pillar Pagoda
  • Hoa Lo Prison Hanoi Hilton Conditions
    The Hanoi Hilton
  • Hanoi's Turtle Tower and Island on Hoan Kiem Lake Reflection
    Hoan Kiem Lake, Home of Hanoi's Giant Turtle
  • hue 02 copyright havecamerawilltravel com - Vietnam's Perfume River
    Vietnam's Perfume River
  • Vietnam Military History Museum Tank Exhibit
    Hanoi's Vietnam Military History Museum
  • Quan Thanh Temple Hanoi Elephant Statue
    Quan Thanh Temple


Travel Advice for Vietnam

You can find the latest U.S. Department of State travel advisories and information for Vietnam (such as entry visa requirements and vaccination requirements) here.

The British and Australian governments offer their own country-specific travel information. You can find the British Government's travel advice for Vietnam here and the Australian Government's here.

Health & Vaccinations

The CDC makes country-specific recommendations for vaccinations and health for travelers. You can find their latest information for Vietnam here.

David Coleman Photography

I take photos. I travel. I write. I do it for a living. Seven continents. Dozens of countries. Up mountains. Under water. And a bunch of places in between. You can find my main site at havecamerawilltravel.com. Or check out what’s in my go-to travel photography kit. Or get in touch here.


Location: Hanoi
Country: Vietnam
Coordinates:
      Latitude: 21.052630
      Longitude: 105.823680

      # Hanoi Vietnam
      # Southeast Asia



About David Coleman

I take photos. I travel. I write. I do it for a living.

I’m based in Washington, DC.

You can find my photography gear reviews and tips at havecamerawilltravel.com/photographer.

David Coleman Photography

I take photos. I travel. I write. I do it for a living. Seven continents. Dozens of countries. Up mountains. Under water. And a bunch of places in between. You can find my main site at havecamerawilltravel.com. Or check out what’s in my go-to travel photography kit. Or get in touch here.

Licensing & Prints

Looking for travel stock photos or prints? I might be able to help. You can search my collection here:

If you already have a buyer account with Alamy and would prefer to use that, you can search my images directly here.

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Photos by David Coleman. Please contact me for licensing images.
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