Changing Hanoi Tay Ho: Views of Satellites and the Golden Bull
Hanoi is a city dotted with lakes and rivers. Tây Hồ, or Westlake, is the largest close to its heart. The current Vietnamese capital evokes its distinct geography; dating from 1831, it means “between rivers” or “river interior.” Bounded by Tay Ho district, with the Red River flowing to its North, Westlake was known during the French colonial period known as Grand Lac de Hanoi.
Administratively, the current Tay Ho was formed in 1998, is one of the cities 12 urban districts, and now consist of 8 wards. With a surface area of 24 square kilometers, a walk or cycle around the lake offers about 15 km of sights and sounds. Over one hundred coffee shops populate the circumference of the lake. Tay Ho is popular with both locals and expats, making for a varied culinary and recreational scene.
The history of Tay Ho is rich in fact and legend. The lake emerged in the 9th century, owing to a change in the course of the Red River. Given its location relative to the Royal Palace at the time, it assumed the name of Westlake (Hồ meaning lake, and Tây meaning West).
One popular legend holds that Westlake was formed by a Golden Buffalo calf from China. The Vietnamese Buddhist monk Minh Không had built a reputation in China as a medical practitioner, successfully treating a Chinese emperor. Refusing a reward in gold, he instead asked for black copper to cast an enormous bronze bell back in Vietnam. The bell’s resonance was such that, when struck, its sound traveled beyond the mountains and rivers of Vietnam to China. There it reached the ears of a golden buffalo kept in the Emperor’s treasury. The buffalo came to life, and believing it was its mother calling, charged southward. Reaching the present-day Westlake, it started circling and circling in search of its mother, trampling the land near the Red River into a deep depression. Over the years, this area filled with water and formed a lake that eventually consumed the Golden Buffalo.
The perimeter and density of Tay Ho has changed dramatically over the past generation. What were once largely villages on the outskirts of Hanoi have now become part of the city’s urban core. Images from Google Earth, taken by NASA satellite images, reveal the massive transformation that Tay Ho district has undergone from 1984 to the present.
The legendary energy of Westlake’s Golden Buffalo can very much be felt in today’s lakeside district perimeter. Any quiet stroll through the wards is quickly interrupted by the sounds of active construction, highlighting the rapid and seemingly ceaseless change in the area. Some streets look to be changing by the day — with the earth being flattened and gouged not by trampling hooves, but by bulldozers and excavators. Take the time to look back into the evolution of Tay Ho, including through digital archeology. Revisit the real world sites, and share on Old Tay Ho.
For a annual timelapse satellite visual of Tay Ho, check out:
https://earthengine.google.com/timelapse/#v=21.06429,105.82331,12.068,latLng&t=0.85
This is the first in a series of blogs intended to bring the history and ongoing changes around Westlake to life, including but bringing together images, stories, and places. Follow oldtayho.com for further explorations. Have an idea for future blog topics, let us know!
References
Friends of Vietnam Heritage, Hồ Tây — Walks Around West Lake, 2009, Thế Giới Publishers, pp. 64
Friends of Vietnam Heritage, Phủ Tây Hồ Westlake Palace — Hanoi, 2014, Thế Giới Publishers, pp. 46
