Lakes are always the center of attention in a residential area, whether they are artificial or naturally formed. In bustling cities like Sài Gòn and Hà Nội, their lakes come with colorful tales: tales of how they were formed or how their position affects the feng shui of the city. Each is believed to have a guardian of its own: a turtle for Hồ con rùa (Turtle Lake) in Sài Gòn, a buffalo for Hồ Tây (West Lake), and a golden turtle for Hồ Hoàn Kiếm (Sword Lake) in Hà Nội. With the tales in mind, the folks at Saigoneer decided to create a mini postcard series, and we helped them turn the story into illustrations. We went for a flat colored style with thick inking lines to pay tribute to Hàng Trống paintings but with more modern character designs. Take a look below at the series.
Illustrator: Hannah Hoang
