The Huc Bridge in Ngoc Son Temple, Hoan Kiem, Hanoi

Coming to Hanoi, have you been visit The Huc bridge in Ngoc Son Temple, Hoan Kiem Lake, Hanoi ?

The Huc Bridge is a beautiful construction built to connect the Ngoc Son Temple located in the heart of Hoan Kiem Lake and the lake bank.

Ngoc Son Temple is a small island on Luc Thuy lake in the past (today it is Hoan Kiem Lake). Legend has it that there used to be a temple built here to honor those who had sacrificed in the war against the Mongol invaders.

Over time, Ngoc Son Temple was degraded until Nguyen Van Sieu, a poet and great cultural celebrity of Hanoi (King Tu Duc called him god Sieu) renovated and “upgraded” Ngoc Son Temple in 1865 and built a bridge named The Huc (means the parked light drop). The bridge consisted of 15 spans, 32 wood cylinder pillars arranged in 16 pairs. In 1802, Nguyen Anh ascended the throne and established Nguyen dynasty, moved the capital to Hue. Although Hanoi was not the capital anymore, Nguyen dynasty still held the Prefectural examination in Hanoi.

Being an indispensable part of Ngoc Son Temple, a splendid symbol of the Buddhist architecture and a famous tourist destination in Hanoi, The Huc Bridge is well-known as “the bridge where light is absorbed”.

Standing from this bridge, you can see spacious and beautiful views of the Hoan Kiem lake, Ngoc Son Temple and the Tortoise Island. Located in the midst of Hoan Kiem Lake, the Tortoise Island is a small construction where there is a unique tortoise living in. For years, this tortoise has been living in the Tortoise Island as the only host of this small island. Unfortunately, this individual is deceased and its body is used by a taxidermist to be respectfully presented in the Ngoc Son Temple as a symbol of this famous Lake.

Nowadays, visitors can easily see this tortoise when visiting the Temple. Locally well-known as sacred destination for the Buddhists, Ngoc Son Temple is always filled with the atmosphere that full of smoke from traditionally lit incense throughout all of time. Therefore, Ngoc Son Temple and the surrounding area always have the atmosphere of a holy place.

So, If you join Hanoi Tours, this is a destination don’t miss – The Huc Bridge in Ngoc Son Temple, Hoan Kiem, Hanoi !