The quick whirlwind trip around Hanoi now takes to the ancient seat of learning of Vietnam - Văn Miếu or the Temple of Literature...
Leaving the Ba Đình area to head to Văn Miếu...
Even though the distance is only about a kilometre, the traffic was really bad and it took us over 20 minutes to get here, Westerners can blame it on the Third World!
The gates of the ancient, hallowed institution...
Indeed one feels blessed to pass through these gates...
Văn Miếu is a temple dedicated to Confucius, sages and scholars which hosted the imperial academy, which was Vietnam's first national university. The temple was built in 1070 during the reign of Emperor Lý Thánh Tông. It is one of several temples in Vietnam which is dedicated to Confucius, sages and scholars.
Văn Miếu is organised around various pavilions, halls, statues and commemorative stones of doctors are places where offering ceremonies, study sessions and the strict exams of the imperial civil service of ancient Vietnam (then known as Đại Việt) took place...
It was a matter of prestige to study at the Văn Miếu - successful completion of the course guaranteed an entry into the imperial court or as royal civil servants...
These would have been a wonderful temple of education, much like ancient India's very own Taxila or Nalanda...
Buddhist and Vietnam flags fly together - it is incredible how Vietnam kept its Buddhist traditions alive despite years of communism, which claims to be atheist...
Selfie time...
Commemorative stellae placed on turtles, which are regarded as symbols of wisdom and longevity, in a sense, denoting that the timelessness of knowledge...
The central pavilion...
The main shrine...
The phoenix is one of Vietnam's four holy creatures, besides the turtle, the dragon and the unicorn...
The interior of the main shrine...
Students come in to pray for blessings for their examinations...
Women in áo dàis - traditional Vietnamese women's dress...
It matches in grace to the Indian saree and the Japanese kimono...
Isn't there something Asian about elegance?
Some more stelae...
And now we wait for our transport to take us for lunch, enjoying glimpses of life in Hanoi...
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