Originally a part of West Lake, the small Trúc Bạch (White Bamboo) Lake was created when a dike was constructed in the 17th century to separate them into two lakes. A small variety of bamboo was cultivated on the southern end of the lake.
In 1967 American pilot John McCain’s plane was shot down and he landed in this lake. McCain visited this spot on his first journey back to Vietnam in 1985. He later went on to run for president.
Along the north shore there are many restaurants and cafes. Several of them specialize in phở cuốn and we used to have lunch at one of them every Sunday. The street that runs between the two lakes is popular, especially with early morning exercisers and at sunset.
To the west of the cache is Hanoi’s oldest pagoda. Tran Quoc Pagoda (Chùa Trấn Quốc) was built in the 6th century.