The Race To Save The Hồ Gươm Turtle

Everyday, for the past two weeks, a crowd will gather during the day to watch the rescue obsession.

The hapless victim: the reverential Hồ Gươm turtle

I understand from my Vietnamese friends that news about the rescue mission has been broadcasted daily. I witnessed the news broadcast about the turtle today.

During the day, they will even peer through a mini-telescope from their office building overlooking the Hoàn Kiếm lake to see the progress of the mission.

Why is there such great interest over a turtle?

Well, the Hồ Gươm turtle is no ordinary turtle.

According to Vietamese folklore, the Golden Turtle God, Kim Qui, gave a magic sword to Lê Lợi, who became an emperor of Vietnam and founder of the Lê Dynasty.

One day, when the King was out boating on a lake in Hanoi, he saw a large turtle surface. The turtle told the King to return the sacred sword that had helped him defeat the northern Ming aggressors now that peace had returned. Lê Lợi unsheathed his sword and threw it to the turtle, who dove into the depths of the lake. Efforts to find the turtle and sword were unsuccessful. Lê Lợi acknowledged that the sword had gone back to the Kim Qui, and renamed the lake "Hoàn Kiếm" (Lake of Returned Sword).

Given this backdrop, it is not surprising there's so much excitement among the Vietnamese when they see the turtle. In fact, seeing the turtle is supposed to bring them good luck.

What happened to the Hồ Gươm turtle?

The legendary turtle has been injured by red-eared turtles, an exotic species. My Vietnamese friend said these red-eared turtles came from China, and may have been initially adopted as pets, before they were eventually released into the lake.

Pictures of the injured turtle have captured the imagination of the nation. They have revealed injuries on its neck and shell. Scientists have also claimed that it is suffering from fungal infection and pollution.

According to VietNamNet, it is an endangered species. Besides it, there are only three other giant turtles in the world, including one in Hanoi’s Dong Mo Lake, one in Hoàn Kiếm Lake and two in China.

You can read 'The death of the giant turtle in Ngoc Son Temple' for more information about the last giant turtle to die in Hoàn Kiếm in 1967.