Temple of Literature

The Temple of Literature, Van Mieu in Vietnamese, is one of the oldest and most important monuments in Hanoi. It was founded in 1070 under Emperor Ly Thanh Tong as a temple to Confucius, and in 1076 the Imperial Academy, Vietnam's first national university, was established within its walls. The academy operated until 1779. The temple is so closely associated with Vietnamese learning that it appears on the back of the 100,000 dong banknote.

The complex is laid out as a series of five walled courtyards, a plan that echoes the Confucius temple at Qufu in China. You enter through the Great Portico and pass through gardens and gates to the second courtyard, where Khue Van Cac, the Pavilion of the Constellation of Literature, was added in 1805. The third courtyard holds the Thien Quang Well and the stelae of doctors.

The stelae are the highlight for many visitors. Carving began in 1484 under Le Thanh Tong, and 82 stone tablets survive, each mounted on the back of a stone turtle. Together they record the names and birthplaces of 1,307 laureates of 82 royal examinations held between 1442 and 1779. UNESCO added them to its Memory of the World Register in 2011. The fourth courtyard, entered through the Dai Thanh gate, contains the House of Ceremonies and the sanctuary, and the fifth courtyard, the site of the old academy, was reconstructed in 2000.

The turtle statues are said to bring students luck in their exams. The temple opens from 8am to 5pm between November and March and from 7.30am to 6pm for the rest of the year, and the official tourism site lists it as open Tuesday to Sunday. On some evenings, typically Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday, a ticketed night tour called The Essence of Education runs from 6.30pm to 9.30pm and can be booked online or at the ticket counter. For a daytime visit, the first hour after opening is usually the quietest. Allow an hour to an hour and a half to walk through all five courtyards at a relaxed pace. Dress respectfully, as this is a place of worship, and leave the stelae untouched.

The temple sits west of the Old Quarter in Dong Da district, a short taxi or ride-hailing trip from Hoan Kiem Lake. It pairs well with the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum complex and the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long a little further north, which together make a full day of the city's history.