Hoan Kiem Lake

In my last post, I did my best to paint a picture of Hanoi—the manic traffic (and the cargo that accompanies it), the stifling heat, the street restaurants and shops, and the crowds of people… all wonderful, exciting, and at times (and particularly relating to the traffic) scary. Today, however, I’d like to write a bit about an area of Hanoi that is particularly enchanting to me: Hoan Kiem Lake. Located in the middle of the city and surrounded by the sights, sounds, and goings-on of the Hanoi I described before, the still waters of Hoan Kiem Lake juxtapose nicely with the continuously-bustling streets that surround it. Every morning, hundreds of people walk to the lake to exercise. At 5:00am the streets of Hanoi are relatively empty, but the one mile path around the lake is packed with men and women walking, running, and stretching. The older women also set up stereos at various points around the lake and gather by the dozens to practice Tai Chi. A few mornings this week, a group of 4-5 of us have woken up early and walked over to the lake to watch the exercisers and jog a few laps around the lake ourselves. The hours of 5-6am are really the only time that it is possible to exercise here without collapsing, and the pollution levels are not so bad, adding to the logic behind the early morning regimen enjoyed by many Vietnamese at Hoan Kiem and other lakes and parks throughout the city. Despite the cooler temperatures and cleaner air, I have still found it extremely hard to run here during the 2 or 3 times I have tried. The humidity is stifling and the air pollution hurts my lungs after about a mile of jogging, and while it was easy to jog 6-7 miles at a pretty good pace at home, I am currently satisfied with jogging a slow 3 miles here before needing to stop. Ultimately, though, I choose to take, and enjoy my trips to the lake in the mornings because of the relatively quiet atmosphere that exists, people I get to see, and the culture I get to soak in from an early hour. I’ll bring my camera one of the mornings and sit around the lake taking pictures to show you all.

Until next time, stay well.