The Vietnamese are great lovers of legends and myths, so they try to surround each of their landmarks with an aura of fairy-tale charm. Sometimes several legends intertwine in one place, but no one is surprised by that.
West Lake Ho Tay, one of the water gems of Hanoi, is so beautiful that it could not help but become the subject of two legends at once. The first of them says that long ago a nine-tailed fox lived here, causing great harm to the local peasants, and then a certain hero, Lac Long Quan, flooded the fox's den, and that is how the lake appeared in this place. The second legend tells of a golden buffalo that struck such a large pit with its hoof that a lake came into being.
Beautiful places attract beautiful stories. Lake Ho Tay really does look magnificent - a mirror-like surface, silence, and tranquility. It is a popular place for dates, so numerous cozy cafes and bars have naturally sprung up around it, where you can sample dishes of traditional Vietnamese cuisine. To create an especially romantic atmosphere, couples are offered catamaran rides on the lake.
