A lake in central Hanoi. Legend says the lake's great turtle took back a sacred sword from a hero, and giant softshell turtles really lived here.
Legend Site
Hoan Kiem Lake
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Positions on the map are a rough guide to the area where a legend or sighting is set. Most pins are placed at representative points of a municipality or prefecture (outside Japan, a city position rounded to about 10 km, or the country), not at the exact place.
Municipality points: Geolonia address data (CC BY 4.0), based on the Address Base Registry (Digital Agency of Japan) / Country points: Natural Earth
| Encyclopedia | Hoan Kiem Turtle |
|---|---|
| Location | Vietnam Hanoi |
| Type of place | Pond or lake |
| Map position | Approximately the actual place |
A legendary giant turtle said to live in Hoan Kiem Lake in Hanoi, Vietnam. Told of as the divine turtle to which a hero returned a sacred sword, it was confirmed to be one of the world's largest softshell turtles.