Temple of literature in Hanoi

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Temple of literature / View photos in 3D

One of the attractions in Hanoi that you should definitely visit first is the Temple of literature (Van Mieu). It would not be fair to say that you will see buildings and statues of incredible beauty here, but the historical significance of this place makes it a very worthy and interesting place to get acquainted with the history of the capital and Vietnam as a whole. Local students love this place very much and hold solemn events here on the occasion of passing the final exams. And yet, you can see the Temple of literature on the 10,000 VND banknote.

If you get to the Temple on the eve of the Vietnamese New Year Tet, you can see here the "competition" of calligraphers who draw their wishes in hieroglyphs in the Han-Nom language.

The temple of literature (Van Mieu) was built in 1070 by Emperor Li Nhân Tông in honor of Confucius and his followers, and six years later the first Vietnamese university was established on its basis. Historical monuments of a thousand-year civilization are preserved here, among them statues of Confucius and his disciples, as well as such ancient buildings as the GUI Wang pavilion and the cult Hall. A university here was established to educate the children of high-ranking mandarins (officials).

In 1484, Emperor Le Thanh Tong ordered the installation of steles in the temple, which began to record the names, place of birth and achievements of people who received a doctorate in exams held every three years from 1442.although between 1442 and 1778, 116 exams were held, however, when the practice of entering names on steles ceased, there were only 82 steles in the temple. These steles are still in the temple today and are stone slabs on the backs of turtles. In 2010, they were recognized by UNESCO as a World Documentary Heritage.

In 1802, Emperor Zia long moved the National University to his new capital Hue, and the temple remained in Hanoi almost exactly as you can see it today.

The temple of literature (Van Myeu) is definitely one of Hanoi's most famous attractions and a must-see.

🕐 Working hours: from April 15 to October 15 from 07:30 to 17:30 ;in the rest of the year from 08:00 to 17:00.

💵 Entrance fee / tickets price: 30,000 VND (currency of Vietnam, exchange rate), children up to and including 15 years - free of charge.

🚶 How to get there: located on Kwoc Tu Giam St, 2 km away. west of returned Sword Lake and south of Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum Ho Chi Minh City (Temple of literature on the map). Entrance to the temple and ticket office on the south side.