Today we went to see the highlights of Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam.
Our first stop was the Temple of Literature, a school that was founded in 1070.
After lunch, where we had the best ‘Pho Ga’ EVER, we went to see the mausoleum of Ho Chi Minh. Behind the very impressive structure was the very simple Stilt House where he lived for most of his life.
Our last stop was the very dense Old Town. A little too much for us so we went for a walk along the lake and stopped for a drink.
That was a little mini-adventure in itself. (See video below) We survived and was rewarded with a very nice local craft beer while we watched the lake and never ending traffic below.
Welcome to the special national landmark Văn Miếu – Quốc Tử Giám!
Located in the southern part of the ancient capital Thăng Long, Văn Miếu was built in 1070 under the reign of King Lý Thánh Tông. Later, Quốc Tử Giám was established by King Lý Nhân Tông in 1076, initially only for princes and children of noble families. In 1253, Quốc Tử Giám was renamed as Quốc Học Viện and expanded to admit excellent students from common families, becoming a leading educational center and a place to select talented individuals for the country.
Not only is Văn Miếu – Quốc Tử Giám known as a national school that has existed for over 700 years, the relic has also preserved 82 stone steles recognized by UNESCO as “World Documentary Heritages” and recognized by the Vietnamese Government as a national treasures.
Văn Miếu – Quốc Tử Giám currently includes the inner precinct, the Giám garden, and the Văn Lake.
The inner precinct is divided into five spatial courtyards: The first section – the entrance to the Way, The second section – success, The third section – The Doctor’ stele section, The fourth section – The Đại Thành (great success) sanctu-ary, and the fifth section – The Thái Học (Great study) section.
