The Nam Nessie

Okay so it’s not exactly the Loch Ness monster. But for a bloke out on a stroll with his newly bought digital camera it’s not a bad effort.

But what is it?

Well let me explain. Or rather here is what the Lonely Planet has to say.

The Tortoises of Hoan Kiem Lake: Fact or Fiction

Those ripples on the lake surface will never seem so innocent again.

Astonisngly there are tortoises in the somewhat less than clear waters of Hoan Kiem Lake. Surfacing on rare occasions and bringing luck to anyone fortunate to see one, the Sword Lake Tortoise (Rafetus Leoli) is not just your common garden variety tortoise – it is a huge animal.

A speciman that died in 1968 weighed in at 250kg and was 2.10m long! It’s preserved remains are on show in the Ngoc Son Temple Complex, together with a photo taken of a tortoise that appeared in the lake in 2000.

No one is sure how many there still are, or how they have survived in this urban setting.

Rumours abound. Are these really the lake-dwelling tortoise descendants of the golden tortoise of Le Loi? Or are they safegaurded in enclosed enclosures elsewhere and transported to the lake from time to time, where their occasional appearance is simply an orchestrated ploy to keep the legend of the lake alive?

So there you have it chapter and verse. To fill in a few gaps – Emperor Le Loi was given (by heaven apparently) a magical sword which he used to drive the Chinese out of Vietnam. Later, after the war, when boating, a giant golden tortoise grabbed the sword and disappeared into the depths of the lake.

Anyway, today I viewed the tortoise. I was just wandering by the lake taking pictures with my new camera and all of a sudden I noticed a bit of a commotion. I went over and watched a few bubbles rise. I had heard the legend but as far as I was aware the tortoises in the lake are all but myth. But seconds later one popped its head up and there it was. Cheers abounded.

Soon I was being taken by the arm by an old gent and a younger kid who were determined I would get my tortoise picture. For the next half hour I took countless pictures of bubbles, but not much more.

Eventually, after much persistance I got the pic you see above. And yes I feel very lucky indeed.