Tháp Rùa
Tháp Rùa stands on a small island in the middle of Hoan Kiem Lake, in Hanoi, Vietnam. This small tower is one of Hanoi’s most recognisable landmarks. Its rectangular base supports arched windows, narrowing upper levels, and a pavilion-like roof with dragon motifs. The structure rises 8.8 metres above the lake.
The site began as an imperial fishing place during Lê Thánh Tông’s reign in the fifteenth century. A fishing tower once served the emperor there. During the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the Trịnh lords built Tả Vọng Temple on the islet. That temple disappeared under the Nguyễn lords. In 1886, a musician built the present tower with permission during French occupation, honouring Lê Lợi and naming it Bá hộ Kim Tower. Local residents removed the body after discovering his secret burial plan.
French Gothic forms meet Vietnamese details in the four-level design, linking the monument’s history with Hanoi’s architectural layers. A miniature Statue of Liberty stood above it before disappearing in 1945. Local tradition also connects the island with Lê Lợi and Thuận Thiên, the magical sword of legend. At night, illumination outlines the small roof above the lake.
- City
- Hà Nội
- Content updated
Take this page with you
The myTuur app is free, and once you are standing at a spot its story starts by itself.
Spots like this one are the stops myTuur strings into tours through Hà Nội. In the app, each story begins where you stand: walk up to a spot and it starts, read it on screen or listen as you go, then follow the route to the next one.
What is myTuur?
myTuur is a free city-guide app. Its tours are built from spots, and each spot carries a story that starts when you get there, to read or to listen to as you like.