A giant, precious old tortoise came to the surface of Hoan Kiem Lake (Lake of the Returned Sword) on April 25, 2006.
It reportedly emerged for around 15 minutes from 7:40 am to 7:55 am in the north of Pearl Isle.
It appeared three times during the 10th National Party Congress.The first time was over 45 minutes on the opening day of the Party Congress on April 18. The second was around 20 minutes on April 20. The third time, on April 25, coincided with the closing session of the Congress.
The tortoise has come to the surface of the lake for 16 times this year.
Legend has it that the giant tortoise is the keeper of the Sword that King Le Loi used to fight against China's Ming dynasty invaders in the 15th century.
