The Legend of the Lake of the Returned Sword: The Founding Myth of Hanoi

We tell you here the legend of the Lake of the Returned Sword. Long ago, the Vietnamese people suffered under the dominion of the Chinese Ming. Each year, taxes increased. Famine fell upon the entire country and the population eventually rose up in the province of Thanh Hoa, under the leadership of a man called Le Loi. Unfortunately, these poorly armed men, weakened by hunger, suffered defeat after defeat.

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Then, the Emperor of the Kingdom of Waters, Lac Long Quan, took pity on this people and decided to come to their aid to help them escape from this situation. At that time there lived a fisherman named Le Thanh. One morning, he cast his net as usual, but it seemed heavier. “Finally, a good catch!” he thought to himself. But no fish: it was just an iron bar. Disappointed, he threw it back into the water.

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When he cast his net a second time, he found that iron bar again. He threw it far from the boat, grumbling. He cast the net for the third time. But, to his great surprise, instead of the expected fish, he caught the iron bar again. “For goodness’ sake, it’s not a bar, it’s a sword!” he then cried out, after examining it more carefully. “A real sword, which only lacks the hilt!”

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Some time later, Le Thanh joined the troops of Le Loi.

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One day, Le Loi stopped by the fisherman’s home with some soldiers. While his men rested in the shade of the banyan tree, Le Loi entered the cabin.

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He suddenly discovered, in a corner, a very shiny object that seemed to draw him with a magnetic force. “Such a sword would be worthy of a king! It’s a pity it no longer has a hilt…” he said to himself. He questioned Le Thanh to learn the origin of the sword. The fisherman told him everything.

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After a brief rest, Le Loi and his men resumed their journey, soon forgetting the sword and its extraordinary story.

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One day, Le Loi saddled his faithful steed and ventured deep into the forest. He was already far away when he suddenly saw, in the heart of the trees, a dazzling gleam. The mysterious light sparkled atop a tree. Le Loi climbed up and soon discovered that it was the hilt of a sword. When he grasped this hilt, the story of the fisherman Le Thanh came back to his mind.

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Already the next day, he returned to him and showed him the hilt found in such strange circumstances. “Believe me, sir, it is heaven itself that sends it to us to help us in our just battle,” declared the fisherman. He was right: thanks to this miraculous sword, Le Loi led his troops from victory to victory. Soon, the country was liberated, and Le Loi became its new king.

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A year passed. One day, while taking a boat ride on the lake, he suddenly saw a turtle emerge before the bow and speak to him with a human voice: “Le Loi, my master begs you to return his magic sword.”

\r\n\r\n\r\nThen Le Loi finally understood that the Emperor Lac Long Quan had helped him when he needed it. He removed the sword from his belt and handed it to the turtle, which disappeared with it into the waters of the lake. From that day on, the lake in the center of the city of Hanoi is called the Lake of the Returned Sword.\r\n\r\n

Lake of the Returned Sword today

The legend of the Lake of the Returned Sword echoes through the centuries as an echo of the pride and faith of the Vietnamese people. It reminds us that freedom and peace are never given, but conquered with courage and wisdom. Even today, contemplating the calm waters of Lake Hoan Kiem, the inhabitants of Hanoi and travelers from around the world remember Le Loi and the magic sword returned to the gods — an eternal symbol of a united, courageous Vietnam faithful to its roots.