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Van Mieu (Temple of Literature) (built c. 11th century onward)

Van Mieu, which roughly translates as Temple of Literature, was founded in 1072 during the Ly Dynasty. Shortly thereafter in 1076 a university called Quoc Tu Giam was built alongside the complex. Honoring Confucius and 72 disciples, it served as a civil service college to staff the bureaucracy of the Ly state. Roughly at the beginning of the Tran dynasty (1225-1400) in a period corresponding to the Mongol invasions, the examination system of the university was changed and its gates opened to commoners for the first time.

The Chinese ruled Vietnam for a short period between 1407 and 1427. After this brief interregnum, the Vietnamese leader Le Loi rose to prominence. He endowed the univesity with a new library and lecture halls, and added a poetry composition section to the examinations. Also at this time the practice of carving the names of successful examinees on stone stele was instituted. The stones tell us that between 1443 and 1778 over a hundred examinations were held with about 20 successful candidates emerging from each exam.

The school flourished into the early 20th century, but the end of the civil service examinations by 1919 signaled the end of its 800 year service. The site lay largely abandoned when the French colonizers arrived, and they referred to it as the Pagoda of Crows since a flock of crows nested in old mango trees located on the site.

Nowadays the area is preserved and used as a park.

Plan view

Click on any of the red arrows to view that location.
Image adapted from L. Bezacier's Relevés de Monuments Anciens Du Nord Viet-Nam, 1958.

Location

The approximate location of the temple is 21.029127' N, 105.836078' E (WGS 84 map datum).