Hoan Kiem Lake is the heart of Hanoi. The legend goes like this, in the 15th century Emperor Le Thai To vanquished the Chinese invading with the help of a magical sword. After that whilst rowing on the lake an enormous turtle seized the sword from his grasp. The Emperor took this as a sign of divine intervention and that peace had been restored. In honor of the event he named the lake ‘Ho Hoan Kiem’ – Lake of the Restored Sword.