Location
West Lake is in Tay Ho District, Hanoi.

Characteristic
West Lake, also called Ho Tay, is the biggest lake in central Hanoi, covering 500ha. In the past, West Lake used to be part of the Red River. West Lake, a beautiful spot in Hanoi, was once a resort for Mandarins and Kings.

Description
West Lake is the biggest lake in central Hanoi, covering 500 ha in Tay Ho district. It is one of the main attractions of Hanoi City.

In the ancient times, this place used to be a famous resort reserved for kings and mandarins. Many beautiful palaces and monuments were built on the bank of the lake, among them are Thuy Hoa Palace, Tu Hoa Palace, Ham Nguyen Sanctuary, Kim Lien pagoda and Ngoc Dam Palace.

The 17 km path around the lake leads to different places of interest such as Nghi Tam and Tay Ho flower villages, the peach gardens of Nhat Tan and the famous Tay Ho Temple. Situated on an island in the West Lake is the Tran Quoc pagoda, the oldest pagoda of Vietnam built in 541. Its ancient towers mirror in the lake water.

Inside the pagoda there is a very precious statue, that of Buddha Sakyamuni entering Nirvana, a masterpiece of Vietnamese sculptural art.

Today, many hotels of all sizes surround the lake. Visitors can go sightseeing and enjoy typical dishes, such as Ho Tay shrimp cakes, Ho Tay snail noodles, and Ho Tay fish dishes.