With the location bordering between District 1 and District 3, Turtle Lake has become an ideal sightseeing, relaxing, and dining spot in the heart of vibrant Saigon. This place attracts young people, tourists, and is especially crowded on weekends.
1. Turtle Lake Overview
- Location: The intersection between three streets Pham Ngoc Thach, Vo Van Tan, Tran Cao Van.
Turtle Lake, also known as International Square, is located at the intersection between the three busy streets of Saigon, Pham Ngoc Thach, Vo Van Tan and Tran Cao Van. This is a popular dating and sightseeing spot for young people and domestic and foreign tourists, symbolizing Saigon's cultural interaction and prosperity.
Although this place is a popular tourist attraction and attracts a lot of people every day, Turtle Lake has no parking space. If you park here, the possibility of being fine is quite high. Therefore, you should park your car at Youth Cultural House and walk back to reach Turtle Lake.
The space at Turtle Lake is quite spacious and airy surrounded by a row of green trees. This place is truly the ideal date and visit spot for young couples or friends.
Especially, in the evening, when the shimmering lights began to appear, the space around the lake became more magical and interesting than ever.
2. History of Turtle Lake
According to history, the current location of Turtle Lake is the location of the gate of Kham Khuyet citadel gate of Bat Quai citadel, after being renamed to Vong Khuyet by King Minh Mang. In 1837, Bat Quai citadel was destroyed and Phung citadel was built smaller. When the French captured Phung citadel, they leveled the citadel and renamed to Gia Dinh and then re-planned the whole city. In 1878, the water tower was built here to provide water to the surrounding people. By 1921, the water tower was demolished because it could no longer provide enough water for everyone's needs. Since then this location has become the intersection as it is today.
Saigon Turtle Lake was built between 1965 and 1967 by architect Nguyen Ky. From 1970 to 1974, the lake was remodeled and five tall concrete pillars shaped like five hands outstretched hands clasped together. The main tower is 34 meters high with a large octagonal fountain with 4 copper spiral walkways leading to the central memorial area. There is also a statue of an alloy turtle on the back with a large stone support bearing the names of countries recognizing the Republic of Vietnam. That's why people named it Turtle Lake.
3. Interesting experiences at Turtle Lake
Not only possessing a beautiful and refreshing scenery, but Turtle Lake is also loved by people, especially young people because of its countless facilities and fun experiences.
3.1. Explore Food at Turtle Lake
Turtle Lake and its surrounding area are truly a culinary paradise in Saigon, attracting many tourists and locals to enjoy unique and delicious snacks. Known as the most bustling dining paradise in Saigon, there are many street vendors, restaurants, or cafes with diverse styles around Turtle Lake. You can enjoy many delicious foods such as mixed rice paper, fried fish balls, mango shakes, egg tarts, fresh ice cream, etc. Along with that, you can sip delicious drinks from fruit teas to milk teas and talking with friends.
An extremely outstanding advantage that helps make the attraction of Turtle Lake is its ability to catch up with the trend of food extremely quickly. The delicacies are skillfully processed, along with the learning from street " chefs" have created a rich food here.
3.2. Enjoy the breeze and relax
With spacious and airy space, Turtle Lake is a popular destination to relax with friends and loved ones every evening or afternoon.
When the city lights up at night, Turtle Lake welcomes many young people from all over to come to eat snacks and talk. The passageways between the lake and the surrounding area also become more bustling and vibrant than during the day.
On weekends, there are also a lot of groups and clubs gather here to live and socialize. Especially music and guitar clubs have contributed to creating an exciting and attractive atmosphere.
On weekends and holidays at Turtle Lake, there are also beautiful and impressive colorful water spray programs that you won't want to miss.
