Trúc Bạch Lake

Infobox lake
lake_name = Trúc Bạch Lake
image_lake = Truc bach lake hanoi 2007 01.jpg
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location = Hanoi
coords = coord|21|2|44|N|105|50|17|E|type:waterbody_region:VN|display=inline,title
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basin_countries = Vietnam
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Trúc Bạch Lake (Vietnamese: Hồ Trúc Bạch, Hán Tự: 湖竹白, meaning "White Bamboo Lake") is one of the many fresh-water lakes in the city of Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam. It is located near the Old Quarter and is known outside of Vietnam as the site where the American Senator John McCain crashed as a navy pilot during the Vietnam War.

Trúc Bạch Lake is located near the historic center of Hanoi, west of the Red River, northwest of the Old Quarter and immediately adjacent to the eastern shore of the much larger West Lake (Ho Tay). Both, the West Lake and Trúc Bạch Lake, were once a branch of the Red River. The two lakes were separated from each other by the construction of a dike (Cổ Ngư) in the 17th century. In the years 1957 and 1958, Thanh Niên Road was constructed to separate the two lakes. During the reign of the Trinh Lord Trinh Giang, a palace was constructed on the lake shore. The building first served as a pleasure palace but was later converted into a prison for royal concubines found guilty of crime. The silk they produced became famous for its beauty. The lake front is open only along Thanh Niên Road, the other sides are occupied by houses and residential streets. The lake is among the most seriously polluted in Hanoi. Nearby historical sites include: Quán Thánh Temple to the southwest of the lake, Châu Long Pagoda to the east, An Trì Temple (dedicated to the worship of a hero from the war against the Chinese Yuan Dynasty) on Phó Đức Chính Street, and Cẩu Nhi temple on a small hill near the northern corner of the lake. On October 26, 1967, during the Vietnam War, John S. McCain III, then a US navy pilot, was shot down by an anti-aircraft missile and landed in Trúc Bạch Lake. A monument has been erected near the western lake shore on Than Niên Road commemorating the event.

References and external links

* [http://www.thudo.hanoi.gov.vn/eco/jsp/longArticle.jsp?articleID=90&language=2 Online article on the lake's history]
* [http://www.ruaf.org/files/econf2_backgroundpaper_tran_duc_vien.doc Study on the lake's pollution (Word document)]