Temple Of Literature

temple of literature's history

Known as Vietnam's first national university, Temple of Literature is a famous destination for your Vietnam tour. It was built in 1070 AD under Ly Thanh Tong( Ly dynasty from 1010 - 1225). The first aims of this temple were to worship Confucius and served as the education centre for the sons of the royal families only.

However, a big change was made in 1076 AD under the King Ly Nhan Tong. He opened this education centre to the public for all smart students of the whole country and became the first university in Vietnam.

After passing the entrance examination into this university (called Thi Huong), the students might study here from three years up to seven years, depending on their ablility. Every year, they had to take 3 major exams and 3 minor exams every month. When having enough conditions, they took the second exam (called Thi Hoi). This important exam decided who would become the king's officals.

The 3th exam was born after one of the Kings realising the cheating in these exams. It was called royal exam (Thi Dinh). The King himself questioned the students to make sure they were smart. This university ended in 1915 when the French stopped Vietnamese education system. They set up the new one for the purpose of controlling Indochina (including Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia).

temple of literature's architecture

The architecture is the finest combination of Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism. It is divided into 5 courtyards lined out in order with the most important features located on the central path. The minor monuments were built symmetrically on the central path.

The outstanding features of this area are the 82 stone carving doctoral steles marked 1306 men who were awarded doctorates after the final exam. The 34 more steles were destroyed by the bomb during the wartime. These 82 stone steles have recently realised as UNESCO World heritage document of education.

The most perfect feature of the Temple of Literature is that the man-made and nature features are well mixed together. The Temple of Literature is the first stop for tourists to Hanoi.

other highlights of hanoi

dien huu pagoda
quan thanh temple
tran quoc pagoda
perfume pagoda
thay pagoda
tay phuong pagoda
but thap pagoda
all hanoi temples, pagodas
all museums for vietnam tours

hanoi old quarter
water puppet
ho chi minh complex
hoan kiem lake
museum of ethnology
one pillar pagoda
temple of literature
ngoc son temple
ho chi minh mausoleum

hanoi tours - daily departure:

• hanoi city tour (1 day)
• bestselling - halong bay tour (2 days/1 night)
• bestselling - halong bay tour (1 day)
• sapa holiday (5 days/4 nights)
• tamcoc - highlight of vietnam vacation (1 day)
• perfume pagoda (1 day)
• cuc phuong adventure tour (1 day)
• mai chau 2 or 3 day tours
• mai chau 1 day tour
• handicraft tour (1 day)
• all hanoi tours
• halong bay cruises