Temple of Literature (Hanoi)

What it was

Founded in 1070 under the Ly dynasty, the Temple of Literature (Van Mieu) is Hanoi’s temple of Confucius. In 1076 the Imperial Academy (Quoc Tu Giam) was established in its grounds; it is often called Vietnam’s first national university. The Khue Van Cac pavilion of 1805, in the second courtyard, is a symbol of Hanoi.

Role

For centuries the temple was the ritual and educational heart of Confucian Vietnam, training mandarins for the examinations. The names of doctoral laureates were carved on stone stelae mounted on stone turtles; 82 stelae from 1484 to 1780 survive and are inscribed in UNESCO’s Memory of the World register.

Fate

The examinations ended under colonial rule. Today the temple is among Hanoi’s most visited monuments, where students still come to honor scholarship before their own exams.