A full view of the planter, with his wonderful bonsai tree. If you look closely, you can see the Turtle Island.

            I truly admired these turtle foot claws at the base of this planter. Each turtle is essentially the same, but the look of their face gives a hint of something silly which may explain why this turtle is smirking.

            This statue is placed in honour of the turtle who once lived in the lake. We were informed it perished a few years ago, although its descendants may still inhabit the lake in its place. 

Also known as Turtle Lake, there is a very small island resting in the lake with a small structure. It is said this island was put in place for the turtles in the lake to have a place to surface and rest. There is also a story which entails a time ago, a family buried their fortune on the little island in the lake because they knew it would be safe from others since boats are prohibited in the water as the lake is next to the Ngoc Son Temple.

A description inside the Ngoc Son Template states:

Ho Guam Tortoises are closely attached to the legend the King Le returned the precious sword to the Tortoise Genius of Ho Luc Thuy (the former name of Ho Guom during that period of time) in the 15th century.

Since then the lake has had a new name: Ho Hoan Kiem (Lake Hoan Kiem or Lake of Sword Restored) or Ho Guom for short.

Over the past five centuries, people have still believed that the sacred sword was buried deep somewhere in the lake.

Time and again several tortoises in Ho Guom have turned up with the witness of many Hanoians as well as tourists as if they remind lookers on of the historical pages in the heroic struggles of the Vietnamese people.