A sizeable lake in inner Hanoi , it covers an area of five hundred hectares. The road fringing the lake is 17 kilometers long. Geographers have shown that West Lake was once a part of the Red River transformed into a lake when the river changed its course. Perhaps, owing to this change of course, many legends have been handed down connected with the lake and its name. For instance, according to the "Ho Tinh" story, the lake was called "Xac Cao" because there was a nine - tailed fox hiding there to cause harm to the people. Long Quan, the God of Waters, raised the level of the waters to destroy the fox’s lair; the cave it occupied collapsed and was turned into a lake.

According to the legend of "Khong Lo casting a bell", the lake was called "Gold Buffalo": Khong Lo had the power to attract all the black bronze from the North; he used it to cast a bell. The bell’s sound echoed far and wide, and spread northwards, it was heard by a Gold Buffalo. Because black bronze is the mother of gold, the Northern Gold Buffalo followed the sound of the bell to look for its mother.  When it arrived, it trampled upon the ground and the earth sunk, this place thus became the lake.

According to ancient manuscripts, in the 11th century, the lake was referred to as Foggy Lake . In the 15th century, it was called Tay Ho (West Lake); it also had another name, " Lang Bac Lake ". Since the days of old, the Lake has been considered as a place of scenic beauty. Under the Ly and Tran Dynasties, Kings and Lords built many palaces around the lake to be used as summer resorts such as the Thuy Hoa Palace , under the Ly Dynasty, which was later named Ham Nguyen Palace under the Tran Dynasty. It is now the area of Tran Quoc. Tu Hoa Palace, built under the Ly Dynasty, which has become Kim Lien Pagoda and the Thuy Chuong Palace , built under the Le Dynasty, in the place which is now the Chu Van An School.

In calm weather, boating on the Lake is an unforgettable experience and brings great pleasure to visitors and local residents alike. Many poets have composed famous poems extolling the beauty of West Lake .

If you stroll along the road round the lake, you can find many sites and places of interest.  For example, Nghi Tam village, the birth place of the wife of the Thanh Quan, also famous for Kim Lien Pagoda and its original architecture.  Then there is Nhat Tan village with its trees blossoming in spring, a place where, according to legend, Lac Thi, under Hong Bang’s reign, gave birth to a membrane bag of eggs which hatched seven dragons. Also Xuan Tao village with Soc Temple dedicated to Giong or Trich Sai village with Thien Nien Pagoda worshipping a lady who is the patron saint of the trade of satin weaving.  Ke Boi village which has a tradition of paper making and Dong Co Temple where an oath taking ceremony used to be held by the mandarins of the Ly court. Also Thuy Khue village with its famous Ba Đanh Pagoda and Quan Thanh Temple . A number of newly built hotels also add to the beauty of the lake.