West Lake, an iconic landmark in the heart of Hanoi, is seekingrecognition as a national scenic attraction, a workshop in Hanoirevealed on October 2.

As Hanoi’s largest freshwater lake,West Lake has a circumference of 17km and is home to numerous historicalsites of interest, including Tran Quoc pagoda, the oldest pagoda inVietnam, and Tran Vu temple, one of the four sacred temples in theancient capital.

The lake attracts locals and tourists alikewho seek respite from the busy city, providing a sanctuary of naturalbeauty with plenty of quiet spots in the surrounding gardens.

The area boasts a number of architectural highlights, in addition torestaurants, entertainment venues, high-end hotels and craft villages.

The workshop featured dozens of speeches by scientists andmanagers, giving an in-depth insight into the lake’s natural features,climate and ecosystem. The participants brainstormed ideas forconserving the value of the lake in future, especially with support frommembers of the public.

Recognition as a national scenicattraction is in line with the socio-economic and cultural developmentof Hanoi and Tay Ho district in particular, Prof. Vu Hoan said, addingthat a number of policy recommendations for planning and management werealso put forward during the event.

The actual creation ofWest Lake remains a mystery, though according to a legend it was formedafter a battle between King Lac Long Quan and a nine-tail fox spirit,which is why the lake was once called “ Dam Xac Cao ” (Fox CorpseSwamp).

Another folktale refers to the lake as “ Ho Trau Vang ”(Golden Buffalo Lake) because it was created by the struggle of abuffalo after the disappearance of her calf.-VNA