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Hoan Kiem Lake
Hoan Kiem Lake constitutes the core of Hanoi. Its other name, Lake of the Restored Sword, was derived from a legend about Emperor Le Thai To, in which a large turtle came towards him while he was boating on the lake. The turtle grabbed his sword that had secured victory against the Minh aggressors and restored it to its place. Emperor Le Thai To named the lake after this episode

West Lake (Ho Tay)
West Lake and True Bach Lake are an attractive part of the city. The two lakes are separated by Thanh Nien Road, which is almost one kilometre long. It is bordered by rows of willow and bang lang trees and is a favourite of young lovers West Lake, also called Ho Tay, is the biggest lake in Hanoi. Covering an area of 500ha in Tay Ho District, West Lake was created when the Red (Hong) River overflowed.
West Lake was once a resort for mandarins and kings. Many palaces, including Thuy Hoa Palace, Ham Nguyen Sanctuary, Tu Hoa Palace, Kirn Lien Pagoda, and Ngoc Dam Palace were built on the banks of the lake. The 17km path around the lake leads to Nghi Tarn Flower Village, Nhat Tan Peach Garden, Kirn Lien Pagoda and Tay Ho Temple, built in honour of Princess Lieu. Today, many hotels of all sizes can be found around the lake,
West Lake is a very popular recreational place for the Hanoians who come to enjoy typical dishes such as Ho Tay shrimp cakes, Ho Tay snail noodles and Ho Tay fish.

Truc Bach Lake
True Bach Lake is separated from West Lake by Thanh Nien Road. In the 18" century, Lord Trinh Giang built a resort palace near the lake, called True Lam Institute. Later on, this institute became a place for banishing guilty ladies-in-waiting, who then had to weave silk cloth to support themselves. Their silk was very beautiful and famous all over the capital. The village was named True Silk Village, which is why the lake was called True Bach Lake.
Along the lake, there are also many ancient monuments: Quan Thanh Temple is in the south-west, Chau Long Pagoda is in the east and Cau Nhi Temple is on a small island in the northern comer of the lake.