Hanoi Attractions: #11 The Temple of Literature
The Temple of Literature is certainly one of the things to see in Hanoi. It is a Confucian Temple that hosts the “Imperial Academy”. This was Vietnam’s first Vietnam’s first national university. The Temple of Literature was built in 1070 during the reign of of King Ly Thanh Tông. It is one of several temples in Vietnam which is dedicated to Confucian sages and scholars.
The temple is to be found to the south of the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long. Various pavilions, halls and statues of doctors are to be found here. These are places where “offering ceremonies”, study sessions and the strict exams of the Dai Viet were held. This quaint temple is featured on the back of the 100,000 Vietnamese Dong banknote. Immediately prior to Vietnamese New Year celebration of Tet, calligraphists will assemble outside the temple and write wishes and prayers in Han characters. This art work is then given away as gifts or are used as home decorations for special occasions.
This particular Hanoi attraction covers an area of around 13 acres and includes the Literature Lake, Giam Park and the interior courtyards. These buildings are surrounded by a brick wall. To the front a by the Great Gate four tall pillars dominate. On either side of the pillars two stelae command horsemen to dismount.
The gardens an the five courtyards are well maintained and are a perfect place to seek some refuge whilst reading, something that people have done here for generations. In one you can see I the “Well of Heavenly Clarity”. On either side of this well are two great halls which house the treasures of the temple.
In modern times the Temple of Literature was featured in an episode of the famous TV reality show The Amazing Race. It is a wonderful place to spend a few hours whilst visiting Vietnam’s capital city.
!steemitworldmap 21.0288905 lat 105.8360061 long ‘The Temple of Literature' D3SCR
Other Hanoi Attractions can be found here:
#1 Cua Bac Church Here: https://steemit.com/travel/@inseasia/hanoi-attractions
#2 Hoan Kiem Lake. https://steemit.com/travel/@inseasia/hanoi-attractions-2-hoan-kiem-lake
#3 Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum https://steemit.com/travel/@inseasia/hanoi-attractions-3-ho-chi-minh-mausoleum
#4 The Vietnamese Museum of Ethnology https://steemit.com/travel/@inseasia/hanoi-attractions-the-vietnam-museum-of-ethnology
#5 Truc Bach Lake https://steemit.com/travel/@inseasia/hanoi-attractions-5-truc-bach-lake
#6 Quan Thanh Temple https://steemit.com/travel/@inseasia/hanoi-attractions-6-quan-thanh-temple
#7 Vietnam Museum of Revolution https://steemit.com/travel/@inseasia/hanoi-attractions-7-vietnam-museum-of-revolution
#8 Hanoi Opera House https://steemit.com/travel/@inseasia/hanoi-attractions-8-hanoi-opera-house
#9 Vietnam Military History Museum https://steemit.com/travel/@inseasia/hanoi-attractions-9-vietnam-military-history-museum
#10 St. Joseph’s Cathedral https://steemit.com/travel/@inseasia/hanoi-attractions-10-st-joseph-s-cathedral
#11 West Lake http://www.inseasia.com/listing/west-lake-hanoi/
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This is a wonderful post especially to those of my generation. Once upon a time any news from hanoi was devastating, now it is peaceful and your post shows that things are back to normal, or as normal as they could ever be, given today's climate. Good to hear. Thanks for the photo and how delightful that they have a Temple of Literature.
Thank you for your comments @jvalentine. I have visited hanoi about 10 times over the last decade, it is a culturally rich city and one that is changing rapidly. It is modernising from the other austere place that first greeted me. Back then they play "heroic" music to workers in the early morning as they commuted to their employment. Nowadays it is closer to other Asian cities and the people are lovely. I am enjoying writing this series. Thanks.
Enjoy every day you are there.
Hi @inseasia, I just came across your blog and think what you're doing is really helpful for travellers. As one of the editors for @steemitworldmap’s daily #traveldigest, I would love to see your posts pop up on http://steemitworldmap.com. If you're interested, simply go to the website, click on code (down the bottom) and add a short description. It will then generate the code you need to copy and paste into your post (not the comments) to have it show up on steemit worldmap. There’s also a FAQ section if you get a bit lost.
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