Luxury Travel and the Sacred Turtle
May 23rd, 2012 | 0 Comments
One of the four sacred animals, the turtle holds a special place in Vietnamese culture, being closely link to Vietnam’s rich river system and its culture of wet rice cultivation. The sacred and mystical creature is considered a protector, and it also the spiritual symbol guiding the company culture of Luxury Travel.
The turtle is been chosen as the sacred animal of the company because it symbolizes so many things: the harmony of heaven
and earth, good and talented people, prosperity, longevity, knowledge, spirituality, peace, stability and sustainability.
The turtle is one of the Four Sacred Animals, the others being the dragon, the phoenix and the unicorn. The turtle as
a sacred symbol may predate the others in Vietnam, going back to the days when the Viet people began their course of nation building and defense.
The legends and symbolism of turtle are closely tied to Co Loa Citadel and Hoan Kiem Lake. While the symbol of the
turtle is clearly attached to the history of nation building and defense, it is also a familiar image in Vietnamese culture as a symbol of peace, disarmament and the ending of wars, which are aged-old desires amongst the Viet people.
From a philosophical perspective, the sacred turtle is a symbol of the universe, with its curved shell representing the sky, its flat belly the earth and the patterns on its shell representing messages sent from heaven to earth.
In Vietnam, sacred turtles carrying stone steles appeared in the 12th centuryAD at Linh Ung Pagoda in Thanh Hoa province. The Temple of Confucius in Hanoi still features a collection of turtles carrying stone steles. Eighty two of these, honoring 1304 doctors of literature during the Later Le Dynasty (1428-1789), rest upon 82 giant stone turtles. Made in a uniform style, these turtles feature large backs and pointed heads. They look quite similar to the giant soft shell turtles found in Hanoi’s
Hoan Kiem Lake. The turtles at Hue’s Temple of Literature are smaller in size but have thicker bodies. Their heads are held aloft, giving them a realistic appearance. The turtle style is also found on the precious seal of the kings Nguyen dynasty in Hue. In royal palaces and buildings, the turtle is one of the favored decorative motifs and is made of different materials like stone, bonze, gold, silver, ceramic, terracotta, lacquer, etc. Emperor Ming Mang even had the turtle carved into the third of
the Nine Urns in the Royal Palace in Hue.
The turtle is often paired with the crane, and this pair is popular in both folk and royal art. The crane normally stands on the turtle’s back, signifying the movable and immovable aspects of life or the yin and yang relationship. As such the turtle and crane
symbolize stability and natural harmony, longevity, nobility and salvation. Given the mission of “carrying the steles in temples and the crane in pagodas”, the turtle spreads a message of knowledge and spirituality.
Hanoi is the heart of Vietnam, and the capital city has been the setting for great stories about legendary turtles, in particular the turtle of Hoan Kiem Lake. Hanoi is associated with the ascending dragon and the sacred turtle, making it a symbol of peace, stability and sustainability.
According to legend, emperor Le Loi received a magic sword called “Heaven’s Will” which brought him victory in his revolt
against the Chinese Ming Dynasty. Ultimately, he gave it back to the Golden Turtle God in the lake that was formerly known as Luc Thuy (meaning “Green Water”) and thus it got its present name, Hoan Kiem Lake or “Lake of the Restored Sword”.The
Turtle Tower (Thap Rùa) standing on a small island near the centre of lake is linked to the legend.
According to legend, the Hoan Kiem turtle is 500 years old and may appear on days celebrated in the capital. It is a signal of luck for anyone to spot this ancient creature. Since the founding of Luxury Travel Ltd. in 2004, the company founders and its luxury travel advisors (Luxers) have seen this giant turtle twice and believe that it has been a signal to build the company to last and find prosperity under the protection of the golden turtle.
Contact us to see how we can create a trip to Vietnam to explore its history and culture.








