Temple of Literature
This is a famous cultural and historical relic, a pleasant retreat
from the streets of Hanoi. The temple was built in 1070 (four years
after the Norman invasion of England) by Emperor Ly Thanh Tong,
who dedicated it to Confucius (in Vietnamese, Khong Tu) in order
to honor scholars and men of literary accomplishment. The temple
constitutes a rare example of well-preserved traditional Vietnamese
architecture and is well worth a visit. In 1076, the Vietnams first
university was established here to educate sons of mandarins. In
front of the rectangular yard lined with 82 stone steal, considered
as the most precious artifacts in the temple, carved with the names
of the doctors of philosophy who passed the king's examination from
1498 to 1787. In 1802, King Gia Long (Nguyen Dynasty) transferred
the National University to his new capital Hue. Major renovations
were carried out in 1920 and 1956.
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