Big NEWS in Hanoi today!

Friday, December 17th

BIG news here in Hanoi! (not covered by the local TV station)
A rare tortoise sighting occurred this afternoon in Hoan Kiem Lake, smack in the middle of downtown Hanoi. Here's the lake.

Here's a picture of the tortoise.

Here's the crowd.

Here's the crazy park anywhere mode.

Here's the discussion.

Here's more crowd.


Here's a quote from Lonely Planet.

"The Tortoises of Hoan Kiem Lake: Fact or Fiction?
Unbelievably there are tortoises in the mysterious and murky waters of Hoan Kiem Lake. Surfacing on rare occasions, and brining luck to anyone fortunate enough to see one, the Sword Lake tortoise (Rafetus lelolii) is not just your common garden-variety tortoise: it is a hught beast. A specimen that died in 1968 weighed in at 250 kg and was 2.1 m 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."

Here's the Ngoc Son Temple.

"Rumours abound. Are these really the lake-dwelling descendants of the golden tortoise of Le Thai To? Or are they safeguarded in 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.
Those ripples on the lake surface will never seem so innocent again."

I guess because I did sight the tortoise today in the lake I will have good luck!