Natural feature
West Lake
West Lake, Tay Ho, Ha Noi
Vast freshwater lake ringed by temples, home to a pagoda that fled a flooding river by relocating onto its own island.
This guide to West Lake in Hanoi follows a Bodhi tree cutting planted here in 1959 by India's first president, traced back to the tree under which Gautama became the Buddha in Bodh Gaya, and Tran Quoc Pagoda, which fled the Red River's shifting banks in 1615 to resettle on a small islet. It also traces the lake's older name, Fox Corpse Swamp, and the legend behind it. Listen for how a temple's retreat from a river and a nine-tailed fox both left their mark on the same water.
Audio guides are written and narrated by AI.