Le Loi Statue Hanoi

The Vietnamese hero Le Loi is famous for having expelled violent Chinese invaders in the early fifteenth century. Here, on the western edge of the Hoan Kiem Lake, or the Lake of the Restored Sword, sits a small statue to the hero himself. The statue proudly holds the sword, depicted in the final moments before, as legend has it, he returned the weapon to the god of the lake. You can usually find incense burning at the foot of the pillar Le Loi is mounted on, in respect for the hero’s legacy and cultural significance. After Le Loi’s victory against the Chinese, he would go on to become the Vietnamese Emperor under the name Le Thai To.