The relics include the Hoan Kiem Lake, the Ngoc Son Temple and the Memorial area of King Le

The Hoan Kiem Lake, also known as the Returning Sword Lake, is a vestige of the old Nhi Ha river and a famous scenic spot of the capital.

In the past, this lake was also called Luc Thuy lake, Ta Vong lake, then renamed according to the legend of King Le Thai To returning the sword. On the floating mound in the centre of the lake, there is a tower where turtles often crawl to lay eggs, hence the name The Turtle tower (or Quy Son tower). The tower is built of brick, has a rectangular plan, consists of 4 floors and has 5 arched doors. The top floor has a traditional Vietnamese 4-roof family.

The Ngoc Son Temple is located on the Pearl Island in the Hoan Kiem Lake, including Nghi Mon, the Pen Tower, Nghi Mon Noi, Nghien Bell, The Huc Bridge, Dac Nguyet Gate, Tran Ba Communal House, the front altar, the middle central palace, the apse, palace, left and right house, the glass house and the back house.

The Ngoc Son Temple is not only a religious relic, but was once also the living place of the Association for Goodwill, an organization that gathered many contemporary Confucian patriots, such as Nguyen Van Sieu (1799 - 1870), Vu Tong Phan (1800 - 1851) to educate the people of good, organized the printing of many kinds of books, such as medicinal books, Taoist scriptures, books about beliefs, etc. When the French occupied Hanoi, many other associations, such as Lac Thien, Tap Thien, and An Lac also used Ngoc Son Temple as the place to publicize against the French. In the early years of the 20th century, Nguyen Thuong Hien, Luong Van Can built a Buddhist altar to preach here. Many intellectuals have established a number of organizations and openly called on the people to unite and act patriotic, typically the Dong Kinh Nghia Thuc movement…

The Memorial area of King Le  is located in the Hang Trong ward, including nghị môn, the communal house and the statue of King Le.

The government and the people, not only in Hanoi but all over the country, always thrive to protect, preserve and promote values  of the Ngoc Son Temple and the Hoan Kiem Lake area. The relics have become a historical, cultural symbol of the Capital. They have great values in many aspects, and are increasingly close to the people, not only in Hanoi and Vietnam, but also to foreigners and visitors.

(According to the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Hanoi)