Trúc Bạch Lake

A small body of water barely separated from the much larger Hồ Tây (West Lake), Trúc Bạch is relatively well-known among Hanoi’s hundred-plus lakes, because it was here that John McCain crash-landed after his plane was shot down. We spent a fun day exploring the lake, and the neighborhood found on an island within it.

Trúc Bạch was created during the 17th century, when citizens erected a small dam to create a fishing pond, and despite a fair amount of pollution, it’s still popular with fishe...