The Legend of Hoan Kiem Lake

According to Nguyen Dong Chi's Treasury of Vietnamese Fairy Tales

During the Ming invasion of Vietnam in the early 15th century, the lives of the people were extremely difficult and miserable. Patriotic individuals gathered together and launched an uprising to fight against the cruelty and tyranny of the invading army.

However, the rebel army consisted only of peasants in simple clothes, armed with rudimentary weapons, and had not yet recruited many people or possessed sufficient fighting strength, so they were repeatedly defeated by the Ming army. Impressed by the rebels' courageous fighting spirit and patriotism, the Dragon King (Lac Long Quan) decided to lend them his magical sword.

During the Ming invasion of Vietnam in the early 15th century, the lives of the people were extremely difficult and miserable. Patriotic individuals gathered together and launched an uprising to fight against the cruelty and tyranny of the invading army.

However, the rebel army consisted only of peasants in simple clothes, armed with rudimentary weapons, and had not yet recruited many people or possessed sufficient fighting strength, so they were repeatedly defeated by the Ming army. Impressed by the rebels' courageous fighting spirit and patriotism, the Dragon King (Lac Long Quan) decided to lend them his magical sword.

One day, while leading his troops through Thanh Hoa province, Le Loi stopped at Le Than's house to rest. Upon entering, Le Loi and his generals noticed an old sword lying in a corner of Le Than's house emitting a dazzling light. They approached and picked it up, discovering that the blade was engraved with the words "Thuan Thien," meaning "in accordance with the will of Heaven" (implying that Le Loi's rebellion against the Ming invaders would surely be victorious). Everyone was astonished, but dismissed it as just an ordinary sword.

Later, the rebel army organized many battles against the Ming army. During one unfortunate defeat, Le Loi was pursued by the enemy into the deep forest. There, he saw a bright object on a tree branch. Curious, Le Loi climbed up and found a sword hilt inlaid with sparkling jewels. Remembering the day at Le Than's house when the sword blade had shone, Le Loi took the hilt home.

When Lê Lợi met Lê Thận, he recounted how he had found a glowing sword hilt and asked Lê Thận to lend him his old sword blade. Unexpectedly, after fitting the blade into the hilt, it fit perfectly, and the blade became incredibly bright and sharp. Lê Thận and everyone present knelt at Lê Lợi's feet, saying, "Perhaps this is a precious sword bestowed by heaven to help our army fight the foreign invaders. Now, we beg our commander to take this precious sword and lead our army to drive the Ming invaders out of our land, so that our people may enjoy a peaceful life."

Le Loi received the sword from Le Than, vowing to wholeheartedly lead the rebel army in accordance with the will of Heaven. Soon after, under Le Loi's leadership and thanks to the divine sword, the rebel army defeated the Ming forces, and peace returned to the people. Le Loi ascended the throne and ruled the country.

A year later, the king and his trusted courtiers were sailing on Lake Ta Vong in front of the capital. When the boat reached the middle of the lake, a golden turtle suddenly emerged from the clear blue water and spoke: "Your Majesty, the Dragon King previously lent you a magical sword to fight the enemy. Now that your great undertaking is complete, please return the sword!" Upon hearing this, Le Loi immediately took the sword from his side and offered it to the golden turtle. The sword unexpectedly flew from the king's hand into the golden turtle's mouth. The golden turtle took the sword in its mouth and then dived back into the lake, disappearing.

Artist Trinh Tuan was born in 1961 in Hanoi ; he graduated from the Hanoi University of Industrial Fine Arts in 1985, and subsequently became a lecturer at the Hanoi University of Industrial Fine Arts; he is a member of the Vietnam Fine Arts Association; and he has participated in nearly 200 solo exhibitions as well as exhibitions with domestic and international artists in Vietnam, Europe, Asia, the UK, the US, and Australia from 1996 to 2023.

Artist Trinh Tuan has organized the annual Hanoi Art Connecting event since 2016, connecting and facilitating artistic exchange between Vietnamese and international artists and painters. The event was recognized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism as one of the top 10 national events in fine arts and exhibitions in 2018.

Heritage Magazine